Top Choices for Mainstream Stamping Applications
Standard High-Volume Hardware Stamping:SKD11 (Cr12Mo1V1) is the primary choice. As a classic, versatile cold-work steel, it offers exceptional wear resistance and balanced, stable performance. With a post-heat-treatment hardness of HRC 58–62, it is suitable for stamping thick materials, trimming dies, and blanking dies, making it the most commonly used steel in hardware mass-production scenarios.
Thin-Sheet/High-Speed Precision Stamping:DC53 is the preferred choice. It offers significantly higher toughness than SKD11, making it resistant to chipping and cracking, and provides superior fatigue resistance. It is ideal for precision blanking of components such as electronic connectors and watch parts; its low residual stress after wire-cut EDM helps minimize deformation in large precision dies.
High-Strength Steel Stamping with Impact Loads:Cr8Mo2VSi is the top choice. Its impact toughness is 2–3 times that of Cr12MoV, while its wear resistance is only 10–15% lower. When stamping 2.0mm thick 65Mn spring steel, it offers more than three times the service life (regarding edge chipping) compared to Cr12MoV. It is suitable for precision stamping of IT connectors and high-strength steel blanking.
Precision Blanking with Severe Impact:TR35 is the best choice. It features approximately 50% higher impact toughness than TR11, achieves a hardness of HRC 62–64 after heat treatment, and reduces sensitivity to wire-cut EDM cracking by 42%. It is suitable for precision stamping dies subjected to high impact loads.
Tips for Avoiding Pitfalls in Special Applications
Cr12MoV (D2) offers superior wear resistance but relatively low toughness. It is suitable only for heavy-duty cutting and applications involving extreme wear; it is not recommended for stamping dies subject to frequent impact, as this makes them prone to edge chipping. The SK95/SKS series exhibits poor red hardness, softening rapidly when frictional heat exceeds 200–250°C; consequently, these steels are suitable only for light-duty stamping of thin parts (under 5 mm) and cannot withstand high-speed, high-frequency automated stamping operations.
The hot-work steel SKD61 (H13) has significantly lower room-temperature wear resistance than SKD11; it is not recommended for use in cold-stamping cutting edges, as doing so would drastically reduce the tool's service life.
