The production of mold steel forgings begins with the selection of an appropriate steel grade-such as high-performance Cr12, H13, or D2-based on the mold's operational requirements. Raw materials undergo chemical composition analysis and internal quality inspections prior to production to ensure the absence of defects such as inclusions or cracks. As material quality consistency directly impacts subsequent forging quality and the mold's service life, this stage is subject to strict controls.
The steel billet is heated to an optimal temperature range to ensure good plasticity before undergoing open-die or closed-die forging. Open-die forging is suitable for small batches or complex shapes, whereas closed-die forging is better suited for mass production, ensuring dimensional consistency. Repeated compression and deformation during the forging process refine the metal's internal microstructure and grain size, thereby enhancing the forging's overall strength and toughness. Heat treatment and precision machining are also required to meet final application specifications. Heat treatment processes-such as normalizing, quenching and tempering, or hardening and tempering-adjust the material's hardness and toughness, relieve internal stresses, and stabilize its properties. Finally, precision machining operations such as turning, milling, or grinding are performed to achieve the dimensions and surface quality required by the design. Only after completing these processes are the mold steel forgings ready for use in the manufacture of various molds.