Tool steel production
For all Cold Work, Hot Work, and Plastic Mold steels, two main production routes are followed.
Basic production via Electric Arc Furnace:
This production route also includes slag removal, ladle alloying, vacuum degassing, and ingot casting processes.
ESR (Electroslag Remelting):
Ingot obtained from the electric arc furnace is remelted under electro-slag to produce steel with higher cleanliness and improved quality.
Today, in addition to these two main production methods, powder metallurgy (PM) is used especially in highly alloyed tool steels to achieve a very fine and homogeneous carbide distribution. From very clean liquid steel, powders are obtained in a neutral atmosphere, and cold-compacted ingots are produced. These ingots are then converted into final products through hot isostatic pressing (HIP).
The ingots produced by the above methods are shaped into final dimensions using one of the following two processes:
- Rolling
- Forging
Before and after these processes, heat treatments are applied to achieve the desired microstructure and mechanical properties of tool steels.
