Category: blog

A viewer in the livestream asked,“What mold steel has higher hardness, better toughness, and better polishability than SKD61?”  Polishing performance is related to the quality of the smelting process; the higher the quality of the smelting process for mold steel, the finer the impurities, and the better the mirror-finish result.  SKD61 is a chromium-based hot-work die…

0.12–0.2 thick tin-plated red copper, using SKH-9 high-speed steel. Currently, after 20,000 production cycles, the punch and cutting edge show wear at the R-corner, causing burrs. What type of die steel would be better? Question from a viewer during Live Stream #297  There are two types of wear: one is friction wear caused by insufficient…

1.2 What material is best for thinning and drawing 1.2-thick cold-rolled steel sheets without damaging the die? We’re currently using DC53 with a titanium coating, but it starts to show wire marks after fewer than 1,000 pieces. Question from a viewer during Live Stream #297  Strain lines on drawing dies are the bane of every…

Another batch of mold steel has arrived, and we’re once again having it tested by a third-party lab.  Every time new materials arrive or are added to our inventory, we commission a third-party lab to test them. In fact, every piece of mold steel that enters our facility has already been tested, so why do we spend…

Today I attended the 2026 Annual Conference of the Guangdong Heat Treatment Association. My main purposes were to receive our membership plaque and to stay updated on industry trends. Here are a few points I’d like to note down:  1) China’s manufacturing sector is truly advanced, with a well-developed industrial ecosystem. These days, heat treatment…

Yesterday, a close colleague of mine called to chat. He said, “The biggest mistake you ever made was not registering the ‘8566 Crash-Resistant Steel’ trademark back when you were promoting 8566. Now all your competitors are copying and imitating you, and you can’t fight back.”  Not registering and protecting the “8566 Anti-Chipping Steel” trademark is…

During the 297th live stream, a viewer asked what mold steel to use for injection molding 40% fiber-reinforced PPS. They noted that H13, even after heat treatment to increase hardness, is not durable, and the same applies to 2344. H13 and 2344 are 4Cr5MoSiV1 medium-carbon steels with a carbon content of 0.38%. Their hardness is only…

He added me on WeChat back in 2022, and today he asked again, “How much does 8433 mold steel cost per kilogram?”  This is already the fourth time someone has asked me how much per kilogram it costs across these two WeChat accounts, so I told him straight up: “We added each other on WeChat back…

I’m pretty happy to hear the good news that the 8566 has increased mold life by 10 times.  Mr. Li said, “The last time I bought a piece of your 8566, it worked really well.”  I asked him, “How many products can the current 8566 stamp in one go?”  He replied, “The service life has…

Reverse-punch die, carbon steel blank, temperature 1200 degrees. H13 cracks after only 100 pieces. Do you have any mold steel recommendations? The reverse extrusion process is carried out using hydraulic presses, which operate at a very slow stroke rate. Since the punch remains in contact with parts at a high temperature of 1200°C for an extended…

I need to stamp hard stainless iron 410, 1.2 thick, with sharp corners. What type of die steel is both chip-resistant and durable? Question from a viewer during Live Stream #296. Stamping 1.2mm-thick 410 stainless steel with sharp corners—a material that is both hard and has sharp edges—places high demands on the die steel’s resistance to…

Wire drawing in deep-drawing dies is an extremely common phenomenon—and even a major pain point in the deep-drawing industry. During my 296th live stream, several viewers reported issues with wire drawing in their deep-drawing dies. Three of these cases left a particularly strong impression on me; they all asked what type of die steel to use…