What Is Tool Steel?
Tool steel is a special group of steels used for manufacturing tools and molds. It is characterized by high hardness, strength, toughness, and wear resistance – properties that make it indispensable for demanding applications such as metal spinning.
Tool steels are optimized in their composition to ensure a long service life under high mechanical stress and often at high temperatures as well. At UFG Gotha, these materials are used specifically for high-precision spinning tools and forming mandrels.
Types of Tool Steel
Tool steels can be divided into several groups, depending on their intended use and type of stress:
- Cold-work steel: For tools used at temperatures below 200 °C. Typical in metal spinning.
- Hot-work steel: For applications with temperatures up to 600 °C, e.g. in forging or die casting.
- High-speed steel (HSS): Particularly resistant at high cutting speeds, mostly used for machining.
In metal spinning, cold-work steel is generally the material of choice, since the process is usually carried out at room temperature. Through special heat treatments, the steel can be optimally adapted to its respective stress requirements.
Relevance in Metal Spinning
In metal spinning, tools – particularly spinning rollers and mandrels – are exposed to extreme stresses. The rotating motion, high pressure, and friction contact with the metal blank require excellent wear resistance and dimensional accuracy across many production cycles.
UFG Gotha uses tool steels with optimal hardness and surface treatment to ensure a long service life and consistent quality of the components.
Typical Requirements for Tool Steel in Metal Spinning
- High compressive strength: Resistance to plastic deformation upon contact with the workpiece
- Wear resistance: Protection against abrasion caused by friction
- Toughness: Fracture resistance despite high stress
- Hardness: Lasting dimensional stability
- Heat resistance (for special applications)
Surface Treatment and Coating
In addition to selecting the right steel grade, surface finishing is also crucial for tool performance. Common processes include:
- Nitriding: Hardening the surface by introducing nitrogen
- PVD/CVD coating: Applying wear-resistant hard material coatings (e.g. TiN, TiAlN)
- Polishing: Smoothing the surface to reduce friction and adhesion
These measures extend tool service life and improve the quality of the formed sheet metal.
Advantages of High-Quality Tool Steels
- Consistent component quality
- Longer tool service life
- Reduced maintenance effort
- Lower scrap rates
- Precise repeatability, even for large series
For companies like UFG Gotha, which pursue high quality standards in production, selecting the right tool steel is a key success factor.
Examples of Tool Steels in Use
Some common grades used in metal spinning include:
- 1.2379 (X153CrMoV12): Highly wear-resistant cold-work steel
- 1.2343 (X37CrMoV5-1): Hot-work steel with good toughness
- 1.2842 (90MnCrV8): Universal tool steel for moderate stress
UFG Gotha selects the appropriate material depending on the requirements and precisely matches hardness, surface finish, and shape to the intended application.
Sustainability and Recycling
Tool steel also plays an important role from a sustainability perspective. Thanks to their long service life and good recyclability, high-quality tools contribute to resource-efficient production. Worn tools can often be reground or regenerated instead of being fully replaced.
Conclusion
Tool steel is a central element for quality and efficiency in metal spinning. The choice of the right steel determines dimensional accuracy, repeat precision, and tool service life – and therefore also the quality of the final product. With years of experience and state-of-the-art technology, UFG Gotha ensures that precision and cost-effectiveness go hand in hand in every spinning process.
