{"id":1519,"date":"2026-09-05T09:21:25","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T09:21:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wudejiansteel.com\/?p=1519"},"modified":"2026-09-05T09:21:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T09:21:26","slug":"what-die-steel-is-recommended-for-hot-forging-316l-stainless-steel-liquid-cooled-plates-the-8418-mold-steel-cracked-after-forging-200-pieces-blog-304","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wudejiansteel.com\/?p=1519","title":{"rendered":"What die steel\u00a0is recommended for hot-forging 316L stainless steel liquid-cooled plates? The 8418 mold steel cracked after forging 200 pieces.blog\u00a0304"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We received an inquiry from Mr. Li in Nantong, Jiangsu, asking for recommendations on die \u00a0steel<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0for hot forging 316L stainless steel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0Upon further inquiry, we learned that he is hot forging liquid-cooled plates that have been normalized. His current die is made of 8418 mold stee<\/strong>l<\/a>, but after producing just 200 parts, the die cavities develop cracks and the die collapses, rendering it unusable. Due to the extremely short service life, he is unable to achieve the desired production volume and asked me what\u00a0die stee<\/strong>l he should use for hot forging stainless steel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Upon further inquiry, I learned that he is using a 400-metric-ton high-speed forging press. The parts are formed via a \u201cpalm-to-palm\u201d contact method, and the dies are cooled with clean water, yet the die life remains short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There are three factors that affect the service life of hot-forging dies: the hot-forging equipment, cooling and lubrication, and the die\u2019s heat resistance. These three factors collectively determine the service life of hot-forging dies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0He uses a 400-metric-ton high-speed forging press, which operates at high speeds\u2014so the hot forging equipment is not the issue. The dies are cooled with water, providing effective cooling\u2014so cooling is not the problem either. However, the die life remains short; the dies crack after only 200 strokes. The main issue is that the 8418 mold steel<\/strong>\u00a0has poor heat resistance; the steel has been annealed and softened, leading to die cracking and failure. Selecting a die steel with good heat resistance is key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 For hot-forging dies of 316L stainless steel with liquid-cooled plates, parts must be heated to 1,100\u00b0C. Due to the high operating temperature, the die steel<\/strong> is prone to annealing and softening, leading to die collapse and cracking, resulting in a short service life. Selecting a die steel<\/strong> with excellent heat resistance\u2014one that will not anneal\u2014is fundamental to ensuring die longevity. I recommend the heat-resistant steel 8433.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 The heat resistance and stability of 8433 are 2\u20133 times that of H13, with a hardness of 50\u201354 HRC. It will not anneal out over its service life. It is particularly worth emphasizing that even if the die is repaired to the point of scrapping, the hardness on the back surface will not decrease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We have a client who hot-forges 316L stainless steel swords. He originally used H13, HD, and HM5 for his dies, but they all annealed out very quickly\u2014softening before reaching 1,000 pieces\u2014which caused the die cavities to collapse. Later, he optimized his forming equipment, found ways to increase the forming speed of the hydraulic press, and added water-cooling to the die. Using 8433 die steel<\/a><\/strong>, he initially produced 2,000 parts, doubling the die\u2019s service life compared to before. After further optimizations to the equipment, cooling system, and die structure, the die\u2019s service life stabilized at 5,000 cycles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Upon reaching 5,000 cycles, a single overall face reduction allows the die to produce another 5,000 cycles. Moreover, reducing the face by just 4\u20135 mm completely removes the annealing-softened layer from the 8433 steel. The fact that 8433 maintains its service life and hardness after face reduction makes it far superior to H13 die steel. Although 8433 die steel<\/strong> appears more expensive, its actual operating costs are lower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 This user is hot forging liquid-cooled 316L stainless steel plates. The die dimensions are relatively large, and a 400-metric-ton high-speed forging press is used, resulting in a relatively fast hot forging speed. Additionally, the die is cooled with water. Currently, after producing 200 products with 8418 steel, the die has developed hairline cracks and requires mirror-finish repair. With such a short service life, production cannot be sustained. I recommend using the heat-resistant steel 8433.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 The heat resistance and stability of 8433 are 2\u20133 times that of H13, with a hardness of 50\u201354 HRC. It will not anneal out over its service life. It is particularly worth emphasizing that even if the die is repaired to the point of being scrapped, the hardness on the back surface will not decrease. When used for the extremely high-temperature hot forging of 316L stainless steel, 8433 offers a significantly longer service life than H13 or 8418. We already have successful case studies of Mr. Xie\u2019s hot forging of 316L sword products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*************<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wu Dejian’s <\/strong>tool<\/strong> steel<\/strong>, the chief of staff of the user, bought everything he had used.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We received an inquiry from Mr. Li in Nantong, Jiangsu, asking for recommendations on die \u00a0steel\u00a0for hot forging 316L stainless steel. \u00a0Upon further inquiry, we learned that he is hot forging liquid-cooled plates that have been normalized. His current die is made of 8418 mold steel, but after producing just 200 parts, the die cavities […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t