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Table of Contents
Введение
D3
D3 steel,also known as Cr12,is a common used cold working mold steel which is a ledeburite steel belongs to the high carbon and high chromium type.It has good hardenability and good wear resistance.But D3 steel has poor impact and easy to break due to its high carbon content.It is easy to form uneven eutectic carbides.
D6
D6 steel,also known as SKD3 steel and DIN1.2346 steel,is a tungsten alloy tool steel with high content of carbon and chromium,and it is a tool steel with excellent properties which is suitable for manufacturing kinds of molds and tools with high wear resistance.
Chemical Composition
| Grade | C | Si | Mn | P | S | Cr | V | W |
| D3 | 2.0-2.35 | 0.10-0.60 | 0.20-0.60 | ≤ 0.030 | ≤ 0.030 | 11.0-13.5 | ≤ 1.0 | ≤ 1.0 |
| Grade | C | Si | Mn | P | S | Cr | W |
| D6 | 2.0-2.25 | 0.10-0.40 | 0.15-0.45 | ≤ 0.030 | ≤ 0.030 | 11-13 | 0.6-0.8 |
Comparison between D3 steel and D6 steel
Common features
As two commonly used tool steels,D3 and D6 steel has some common features:
High carbon steel:Both of them are high carbon steels with high carbon content,which makes them have high hardness and wear resistance.
High chromium content:Both of D3 and D6 steel have high proportion of chromium which enhances their wear resistance and corrosion resistance.
Cold working die steel:Both of them are mainly used to manufacture cold working die steel,such as stamping dies,shearing dies,forming dies,etc.
Heat treatment:Both two steels need heat treatment to reach the hardness and properties as it required,including quenched and tempered.
Good hardenability:Both of D3 and D6 steel have good hardenability,which means they can achieve evenly hardening over large cross sections.
High hardness:After appropriate heat treatment,both of them can reach a high hardness,which is suitable for the application require high wear resistance.
Impact Resistance:Although they all known with high hardness and wear resistance,compare to some other types steels,they may exhibit some brittleness when subjected to impact.
Cost-effective:Compare to other high properties tool steels,the cost of D3 and D6 steel are reasonable, therefore it is widely used in industrial application.
Corresponding international standards:Both D3 and D6 steel have corresponding international standard grade which making them recognized and used worldwide.
Differences
Chemical Composition:
The chemical composition of D3 steel mainly include:C :2.00～2.35%,Si: 0.10～0.60%,Mn:0.20～0.60%,Cr:11.0～13.5%,P:≤0.030%,S:≤0.030%,it may contains V and W.
The chemical composition of D6 steel include:C：2.00～2.35%,Si：≤0.60%,Mn： ≤0.60%,Cr：11.00～13.00%,W：0.60～0.80%,Mo：0.70%～1.20%,P:≤0.03%,S:≤0.03%.
Differences in Alloy Elements
D3 steel mainly contains chromium and possibly contains vanadium and tungsten,while D6 steel not only has chromium,but also especially add tungsten and molybdenum.The addition of these elements makes D6 steel have better wear resistance and comprehensive performance.
Performance characteristics
D3 steel is a ledeburite steel with high carbon and high chromium,it has high wear resistance,hardenability,high toughness,thermal stability and compressive strength.
D6 steel is a tungsten alloy tool steel with high carbon and high chromium.Except the high wear resistance and compressive strength,it has higher quenchability, hardenability,toughness,thermal stability and micro-deformation.
Heat treatment properties
Both of D3 and D6 steel need to be heat treated to reach the hardness and properties it required.But due to the content of tungsten and molybdenum,D6 steel may have better dimensional stability and tempering resistance after heat treatment.
The Application Scenario of D3 and D6 Steel
The application scenario of D3
Silicon steel sheet punching die:Used for drawing and blanking dies that require high wear resistance and simple shape under small dynamic load conditions.
Bending die:Used to manufacture punches,dies,inserts requires high wear resistance,the recommended hardness is 60～64HRC.
Drawing die:Used to manufacture concave dies that require wear resistance,the recommended hardness is 62～64HRC.
Aluminum cold extrusion die:When used to manufacture the punch of aluminum cold extrusion die,the recommended hardness is 60～62HRC
Elastic steel plate:Used for bending elastic steel with carbon content of 0.65% to 0.80%,the hardness is 60～62HRC.
Blanking dies and punches:Suitable for blanking dies,punches,thread rolling wheels,scissors blades,cold heading dies,and clay molds.
Thermosetting plastic mold:Can be used for thermosetting plastic molds,etc.
The Application Scenario of D6 steel
Punching and Shearing Tools:D6 tool steel used to manufacture punching and shearing tools.
Drawing Tools and Wire Drawing Dies:
Mandrel and punching tools:D6 steel is suitable for mandrel and punching tools.
Forming tools and shearing tools:D6 steel is also suitable for forming tools and shear blades.
Automobile industry:D6 steel used to manufacture various engine parts,such as crankshafts,gears and camshafts,due to its high strength and toughness.
Aerospace industry:Used to manufacture components need to bear extreme conditions,such as landing gear components and turbine blades.
Oil and gas industry:used to manufacture drilling tools due to its excellent wear resistance.
Medical industry:Used to manufacture surgical instruments and implants due to its biocompatibility and corrosion resistance.
Tool manufacturing industry:Used for manufacture various cutting tools,such as drill bits,saw blades and stamping dies。
D3 and D6 steel: Which one should I use?
D3 steel is a high carbon,high chromium ledeburite steel with high wear resistance,quenchability, hardenability,toughness,thermal stability and compressive strength.Its wear resistance is 3-4 times higher than general low alloy steel,and its volume deformation is small during quenching.
D6 steel is a high carbon,high chromium tungsten alloy tool steel with high compressive strength,high wear resistance,high surface hardness and good hardening stability,Which is also known as SKD2 STEEL and DIN 1.2436 steel.
If the high wear resistance,simple shape and small dynamic load conditions is what you required,D3 is a suitable choice.
If you need it for forming tools or the applications that require high wear resistance and compressive strength,D6 steel may be more suitable for your requirement.The final choice should based on the specific application condition,required performance indicators and cost benefit analysis.Hope these information could help you to make the decision.
Заключение
Both of D3 and D6 steel are high carbon and high chromium tool steel which is suitable for manufacturing high wear resistance molds.Due to the high wear resistance and quenchability,D3 steel is suitable for silicon steel sheet stamping dies and aluminum cold extrusion dies.D6 steel contains tungsten and molybdenum,which has higher compressive strength and wear resistance,so it is suitable for forming tools and stamping tools for hard materials.It depends on application demands whether you choose D3 or D6 steel,D3 is suitable for simple molds,D6 is suitable for complex and high demand molds.
ЧАСТО ЗАДАВАЕМЫЕ ВОПРОСЫ
- What is the difference between D3 and D6 steel in wear resistance?
Answer:D6 steel has better wear resistance compare to D3 steel due to its content of tungsten and molybdenum.The addition of tungsten and molybdenum increases the hardness and wear resistance,which make it has better performance when bearing high load and high abrasion.Although D3 steel has good wear resistance,it may be not as good as D6 steel at extreme abrasion conditions.
- When manufacturing cold working molds,which one should I choose D3 or D6 steel?
If your application requires high wear resistance and good quenchability,D3 steel is a good choice,However,if the molds require to bear higher pressure and abrasion,or it needs more dimensional stability,D6 steel may be a more suitable choice.
- D3 and D6 steel:which one has better wear resistance?
The wear resistance of D6 steel is higher than D3 steel.D6 steel is a high carbon and high chromium tungsten alloy tool steel with high compressive strength,high wear resistance,high surface hardness and good hardening stability.The wear resistance of D6 steel is 3-4 times higher than general low alloy tool steel.In comparison,although D3 has good wear resistance,but in terms of wear resistance,D6 steel would be better.Therefore,if the application scenario require extreme high wear resistance,D6 steel would be a better choice.
