Toolox 44 - AT A GLANCE
What kind of steel is Toolox 44?
Toolox 44 comes with a lot of plus points like the very low residual stresses, high impact toughness and fatigue resistance. Due to its low carbon and alloy content, this tool steel material is suitable for both welding and thermal-cutting.
With the ability to nitrate this material the surface hardness can be additionally increased and service life extended. The combination of those characteristics makes Toolox 44 suitable for demanding engineering and is especially suited for plastic molds as it has excellent polishing and photo-etching properties due to the cleanliness of the material.
Properties
The quenched and tempered Toolox 44 material can optimize the manufacturing process and therefore costs. Toolox 44 also has properties such as good wear resistance, good dimensional stability and good machinability, which make machining this material grade a good choice for many applications where precise dimensions and tolerances, durable performance in abrasive environments and a good balance between wear resistance and ease of processing are required.
Practically, this means:
- Good wear resistance
- Good machinability
- Good dimensional stability
- High strength
- Excellent polishing and photo-etching properties
- No further heat treatment is required as it is supplied in the hardened and tempered condition
- Nitridable / gas nitriding possible
- Can be eroded
- Working hardness, as supplied and without nitriding, is 45 HRC
- Post-oxidation protects against corrosion
Applications
Thanks to its high strength, good toughness and good mechanical properties the Toolox 44 can be used in a wide variety of industries. Toolox 44 can be used for engineering and tooling due to its wear resistance, durability, dimensional stability (as well under high temperatures) and toughness for
- Moulds
- Die casting
- Stamping
- Forging
Due to its surface hardness, impact strength and wear resistance it can be used for machine components like
- Ball bearings
- Cylinders
- Pins
- Bushings
The previously mentioned properties make the Toolox 44 a material that finds its uses in
- Mining equipment
- Wear plates
- Pump parts
- Wind turbines
- Gears
- Armor plates
- Shredder
- For manufaturing agricultural equipment like plough shears
Next to all the aforementioned applications Toolox 44 can be generally used for mechanical engineering, machine components, guide rails, base plates, assembling parts, press brake tools, plate forming tools, wear parts, plastic moulds, moulding frames, forming tools, rubber moulds and die casting moulds.
TOOLOX 44 Standard values
Chemical composition:
| C | Si | Mn | P | S | Cr | Mo | Ni | V |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.32 - 0.32 | 0.6 - 1.1 | 0.8 - 0.8 | 0.0 - 0.01 | 0.0 - 0.003 | 1.35 - 1.35 | 0.8 - 0.8 | 0.0 - 1.0 | 0.14 - 0.14 |
Chemical designation:
Toolox 44
Working hardness: approx. 45 HRC (delivery condition)
Delivery condition:
max. 418 HB
TOOLOX 44 Physical properties
What group of steel does the Toolox 44 belong to?
- Tool steel
- Cold work steel
- Plastic mould steel
Is Toolox 44 a stainless steel?
No, Toolox 44 is not a stainless steel.
Is Toolox 44 corrosion resistance?
Toolox 44 is not a corrosion-resistant steel. To be classified as corrosion-resistant steel, it must have a mass fraction of 10.5% chromium. Toolox 44 has a mass fraction of approx. 1.35%.
Is Toolox 44 magnetisable?
As a ferrous material, Toolox 44 is magnetisable and therefore suitable for the magnetic clamping technique.
Toolox 44 Cold work
With its combination of high strength, fatigue strength and toughness, Toolox 44 is used in cold forming for shaping, bending and drawing, but is also used in components such as guide plates, support plates and mounting plates.
Toolox 44 Wear resistance
Toolox 44 receives a 4 for its wear resistance on a scale where 1 is low and 6 is high.
Toolox 44 Technical properties
Is Toolox 44 a knife steel?
While Toolox 44 has good wear resistance, which enables this material to maintain a cutting edge, it also has good toughness, which prevents chipping and breaking under stress. It has been manufactured to have good dimensional stability, which is crucial for maintaining precise tolerances during machining. Although it has some corrosion resistance, this is not sufficient to be used in corrosive environments.
Toolox 44 Working hardness
The working hardness for Toolox 44, in the delivery condition and without nitriding, is 45 HRC.
Toolox 44 Tensile strength
The tensile strength of Toolox 44 is aprox. 1.420 N/mm2. This value is the result of a tensile test, which shows how much force is required before the material begins to stretch or elongate before it breaks.
Toolox 44 machining
Toolox 44 is rated 2 for machinability on a scale where 1 is low and 6 is high.
Toolox 44 Yield strength
The yield strength indicates how much stress can be applied to Toolox 44 before it undergoes plastic deformation. Once this point is exceeded, the material will not return to its original shape when the stress is removed, but will remain deformed or even break.
The yield strength of Toolox 44 is 1,300 N/mm2.
Toolox 44 heat conductivity
At room temperature the heat conductivity for Toolox 44 is at 28,0 W/(m*K).
Heat conductivity
Value W/(m*K)
At a temperature of
28.0
20 °C
32.0
200 °C
29.0
400 °C
21.0
600 °C
Toolox 44 Thermal expansion coefficient
The coefficient of thermal expansion indicates the expansion or contraction at different temperatures, which can be very important for work at high temperatures or with significant temperature fluctuations. The coefficient of thermal expansion for Toolox 44 at room temperature is typically at approx. 13,5 – 10-6m/(m*K).
ABRAMS®– HEART AND SOUL IN STEEL!
TOOLOX 44 Procedure
No further heat treatment is required for this steel grade, as it is supplied in a tempered condition.
Any further heat treatment of this steel grade should be carefully considered in order to maintain the properties specified by the manufacturer for this grade. In order to maintain these properties, a detailed understanding of metallurgy and how the heat treatment process can alter the properties of Toolox 44 is required.
Toolox 44 Tempering
Toolox 44 is tempered when delivered. The tempering temperature is 590 °C. Tempering removes internal stresses and thus achieves excellent precision during machining.
TOOLOX 44 Surface treatment
For applications requiring better surface properties, Toolox 44 can be induction or laser hardened and nitrided. This gives Toolox 44 a high surface hardness with a very resistant core, increased fatigue strength and thus a longer service life.
Note: Any surface treatment should not exceed a temperature of 590 °C.
Toolox 44 Nitriding
Nitriding Toolox 44 can achieve a surface hardness of 58–65 HRC and is used when high wear resistance is required for a longer service life. If the nitrided surface is also coated using the PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) process, an even higher surface hardness and improved corrosion resistance can be achieved. Using this process, Toolox 44 can achieve a surface hardness of 700 HV and a hardness depth of 0,2 to 2 mm.
Note: Any surface treatment should not exceed a temperature of 590 °C.
Toolox 44 Induction hardening
Like other surface hardening processes, induction hardening further improves surface properties. Induction hardening is a widespread method for increasing the surface hardness.
Toolox 44 Laser hardening
Certain applications require further improvement of surface properties. In such applications, laser hardening has proven to be a highly efficient method. Laser-hardened surfaces offer the additional advantage of being very smooth, which reduces friction and reduces the risk of material adhering to the surface.
TOOLOX 44 Processing
Toolox 33 Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM)
As Toolox 44 is manufactured to obtain specific properties, it is very important that the process is planned and controlled in such a way that the intrinsic properties are retained and the requirements of the intended application are met.
Toolox 44 Dimensional changes
While Toolox 44 is designed to be dimensionally stable after machining, it can still undergo dimensional changes, e.g. during welding as a result of rapid temperature changes.
Toolox 44 Welding
All conventional welding methods can be used to weld Toolox 44, and it can be joined with all other weldable steels. Prior to welding, the base material should be cleaned of contaminants such as grease, rust, oil and moisture, and sharp edges should be removed. Stainless, unalloyed and low-alloy welding consumables are suitable for use with Toolox 44.
