Materials Selection of Mold Forming Parts
Mold forming parts are at the core of all molds. Their quality directly affects its quality and lifespan. When selecting these materials, the following should be adhered to:
Plastic products feature a reflective surface.
Plastic products feature an appealing texture.
Plastic material can be highly corrosive.
Plastic material used is corrosion-resistant with an elegant mirror finish surface finish.
Plastic product with transparent parts
Mold life expectancy can be very demanding.
Selection of Materials for Non-molding Parts of Molds
Non-molding parts do not have stringent material requirements and their selection principles should be as follows.
No special requirements exist for mold frames made out of S45C or S50C steel.
Mold components made of either S45 or S50C materials may also be included on a mold.
Selection of mold materials should take into account several criteria, including those discussed here and customer requirements and cost considerations. As noted above, this list should serve only as a general reference; other aspects must also be taken into account. Here are some characteristics of commonly used steel mold materials which you should keep in mind:
| Origin | Material Name | Material properties | Hardness |
| Japan 2009 | SLD (SKD11) | Special alloy steel for cold punching dies | HRC61 |
| DAC (SKD61) | High-quality hot work casting alloy steel | ||
| FDAC (DH2F) | Special alloy steel for die casting mould | HRC40-44 | |
| HPM50 (NAK80) | High-hardness polished mirror pre-hardened high-quality plastic mold steel | HRC37-41 | |
| YXM1 (SKH-9) | Special high-quality high-speed steel | HRC63 | |
| SGT(SKS3)(GOA) | wear-resistant and non-deformable alloy tool steel | HRC60 | |
| YCS3 (YK30) | high-grade carbon tool steel | HRC63 | |
| S50C | High carbon steel | ||
| H3100 | Sambo pure electrolytic copper | Electroplated copper | |
| HPM38 | Transparent corrosion-resistant mirror steel | ||
| PX5 | pre-hardened plastic mold steel | ||
| PAK90 | Super hardened transparent corrosion-resistant mirror steel | ||
| SLD8(DC53) | Special alloy steel for cold punching dies | HRC62-63 | |
| DM (SKT4) | steel for casting and forging die | ||
| Assab (Sweden) | 618 | pre-hardened plastic mold steel | HR280-320 |
| 718 | pre-hardened plastic mold steel | HR290-330 | |
| S136 | Transparent corrosion-resistant mirror steel | HRC31-35 | |
| S136H | Hardened transparent corrosion-resistant mirror steel | ||
| 8407 | hot work die steel | Less than HB180 | |
| DF-2 | Non-deformable special wear-resistant alloy oil steel | Less than HB190 | |
| XW-41 | wear-resistant and tough chrome steel | ||
| Germany Germany | 2311 | pre-hardened plastic mold steel | |
| 2738 | pre-hardened plastic mold steel | ||
| 2316 | Pre-hardened transparent acid-proof die steel | ||
| 2083 | transparent acid-proof die steel | ||
| 2344 | hot work die steel | ||
| 2510 | non-deformable oil steel | ||
| Bohler, Austria | M202 | pre-hardened plastic mold steel | HRC29-33 |
| M201 | pre-hardened plastic mold steel | ||
| M238 | super pre-hardened plastic mold steel | HRC30-34 | |
| M300 | Mirror plastic mold steel | HRC31-35 | |