Steel and carbide tooling components for forming applications

15 Oct Tool steel or carbide? Choosing cold heading tooling

Posted at 06:39h in Technical Articles by

Choosing a cold heading tool material starts with how the tool works and how it fails. A worn bore, a chipped edge and a fractured punch call for different investigations. The hardest material is not automatically the most suitable one.

Balance wear resistance with toughness

Heading tools must resist wear while tolerating the loads of repeated forming. Tool steel and cemented carbide offer different combinations of these properties. Carpenter Technology’s guidance on heading identifies wear resistance and toughness as key selection criteria; the right balance depends on the application.

Carbide can be useful where wear resistance is a priority. Tool steel may be preferable where the design needs a different balance of toughness, manufacturability and cost. Neither choice should be made from hardness alone. Grade, heat treatment where applicable, support and tool geometry must be reviewed together.

Give the tool maker the operating context

  • The material being formed and the relevant operation or station.
  • The current die or punch drawing, including fits and critical working surfaces.
  • How the existing tool wears or fails, with photographs if available.
  • Any known lubrication, alignment or supporting-tool considerations.
  • Required quantity and whether the component will be reordered.

Review the complete tooling requirement

A material change does not replace a review of geometry, support or process conditions. For a replacement tool, tell PFM whether you want a like-for-like component or a discussion of possible changes. Any alternative material or design should be agreed before manufacture.

PFM’s range includes cold heading tooling and steel and carbide components. Send the drawing and application details through Contact PFM for a project review.

Technical reading: Carpenter Technology, Heading Hints: A Guide to Cold Forming Specialty Alloys (PDF). This article provides selection considerations; the material and manufacturing requirements are agreed for each project.

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