Yesterday, I was chatting with a classmate, and he asked me, “With your 8566 mold steel, all your competitors are copying you—they’re all imitating you. Doesn’t that make you angry?” I thought about it for a moment and realized that if you’re angry, you’ve only got yourself to blame. When people imitate your product, you shouldn’t be angry—you should be happy.
8566 is a proprietary anti-chipping mold steel developed by Yuhui Mold Steel, designed primarily to solve mold chipping issues. It has accumulated over a thousand case studies across five stamping operating conditions, six major material types, and seven major industries. 8566 is not a national grade; it’s our company’s proprietary grade—our intellectual property—and is not in the public domain. This 8566 is like my child; I named it 8566. Now that 8566 has become a hit—gaining market recognition and sales—and people are imitating and copying it, this is a good thing; you shouldn’t be upset.
It’s like Wei Shen’s father: he had a son named Wei Dongyi. Because Wei Dongyi is a math prodigy whom we all admire, many people with the surname Wei have named their own sons Wei Dongyi as well. So what about people with the surname Huang? They’d name their sons Huang Dongyi, Ma Dongyi, or Chen Dongyi. With so many “Dongyis” around, I don’t think Wei Dongyi’s father should be upset—it’s simply a way for others to show their recognition and admiration for his son.
8566 anti-chipping steel offers four times the chipping resistance of SKH-9 high-speed steel and twice that of D2, with a hardness of HRC 58–60. It effectively addresses chipping issues that high-hardness die steels such as D2, DC53, and SKH-9 cannot resolve; In particular, under demanding conditions such as stainless steel stamping, thick-plate stamping, fine-blanking dies, sharp-corner stamping, narrow-flange stamping, and stamping where the hole diameter is smaller than the plate thickness or the stamping ratio is less than 1:1, 8566 die steel effectively resolves die chipping issues and significantly extends die life.
Some people have copied my 8566—even though they’ve copied my copywriting, my advertising slogans, my case studies, and even the 8566 die steel model number itself—I don’t think I should get upset. This is simply a way for my peers in the industry to show their admiration for me. Think about it: if your product has no market recognition, no sales, and no one specifically asks for it—if it isn’t a well-known brand—do you really think others would go out of their way to imitate you or copy you? After all, copying comes at a cost and requires swallowing one’s pride.
They say there are people willing to take on life-threatening risks, but no one wants to do business that loses money—and no one will do anything that offers no benefit. The fact that so many people are copying 8566, emulating 8566, and even major steel mills are benchmarking against 8566 indirectly confirms that 8566 die steel truly has excellent crack resistance. It has helped many users solve mold cracking problems, and many users specifically request it. Once users start specifically requesting it, that creates a brand effect. Once sales take off in the market, imitators and copycats will naturally follow—and this is actually a form of affirmation and recognition for your 8566.
With my peers in the industry showing such recognition, what reason do I have to be upset? Besides, how many products can a person create in a lifetime that are worth being copied and imitated by the market? From this perspective, the fact that 8566 mold steel has now become a “viral steel” and a “legendary steel”—widely copied and imitated—should make me very happy; it’s truly an honor.
Using 8566 die steel for punch chipping—it’s like night and day compared to the old days. If your punches are also experiencing chipping issues that you can’t resolve, I invite you to give 8566 anti-chipping steel a try.
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I am Wu Dejian, the “King of Mold Steel,” from Dongguan Yuhui Mold Steel. Yuhui Mold Steel is used by three Fortune 500 companies, and Kyocera has been sourcing our products for seven consecutive years. I have helped over 4,000 companies solve complex challenges related to mold material selection, manufacturing, and usage. If you’re unsure about which mold steel to choose, or if the steel you’re currently using results in short mold lifespans, or if you’re unsure which material to use, feel free to reach out to me. I’m confident I can serve as your trusted advisor in this area and help you avoid costly mistakes. Wu Dejian Mold Steel—your trusted advisor—and customers who’ve tried us keep coming back!