Whatever the application, Toolox® has a proven track record of giving end users superior service life and productivity. Machine components as well as molds and dies made in Toolox® outperform standard steels thanks to a combination of chemical and physical properties.
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The hardness of Toolox® makes the parts extremely resistant to wear. The toughness gives excellent crack and fatigue resistance. The high yield strength adds durability even when the steel is subjected to heavy loads. Other factors that give end users longer service life is the surface treatment capability and the high-temperature performance without losing hardness and toughness.
An automotive producer of parts for brake systems had big problems with cracking of the former tool steels H13 and P21. The tools could only process 3,000 pieces before the tool wore out. This was not a sustainable situation and a solution had to be found. The customer turned to nitrided Toolox® 44 and reached a dramatic increase in tool life – 50,000 pieces processed before maintenance. The high surface hardness and toughness made the tools resistant to fatigue-related chipping and cracking.
Press brake tools are commonly made from 1.2312 steel. Changing to Toolox® 33 improved the lifetime of the tools by up to 45%. Not only that, the total cost of the tools was reduced by up to 28% thanks to fewer production steps. Toolox® 33 can be welded and laser hardened or nitrided without changing the shape which makes repair work easy. Toolox® 33 can be used in all OEM machines.
A steel rim producer generally used 4140 Q&T and 1.8550 Q&T typesteels at hardness levels of 30 HRC when manufacturing shafts with a 250 mm diameter for steel rim production. These shafts were too brittle and suffered cracking. When testing Toolox® 44 on five different shafts the toughness of the material gave twice as long a service life.
GTECH generally used heat-treated AISI 4340 and DIN 1.2344 steels at different hardness levels for its end milling tool holders. The mainproblem was long production times caused by the heat treatment. Even if the heat treatment improved the hardness, the steel became brittle which led to cracks. Toolox® 44 was a better option. It is already hardened and tempered, resulting in a tougher tool that lasts 15 times longer, and is faster to produce.
An Italian customer with a car scrap recycling plant experienced highwear of the rotating hammers’ pins. The pins in hardened 39NiCrMo4 could scrap around 20,000 tons before maintenance was needed. Hardening lowered the toughness of the material, making it more prone to break. With Toolox® 44 the customer could scrap 55,000 tons before changing the pins.
The customer had problems with its current pins in heat treated 42NiCrMo14. The heat treatment reduced the toughness and resulted in unpredictable breakdowns. Testing Toolox® 44 with a higher toughness as delivered resulted in a 70% increase in the lifetime of the pins. Toolox® 44 also saves time in production due to fewer manufacturing steps.
Get the full story of Toolox® engineering and tool steel from SSAB.
Toolox® is easy to weld and easy to cut. In the brochure you’ll find the best practises.
Toolox® is a prehardened steel with high machinability for making finished parts without time-consuming and costly heat treatment
