High-Performance Tool Steel for Die Casting

A premiere from the GMH Group: its subsidiary Kind & Co Edelstahl is presenting its newly developed tool steel MT1 at Euroguss, specifically designed to meet the requirements of die casting.

According to the company, the material is suitable for structural cast parts, giga-cast components, and high-performance components for electric drive systems. “With MT1, we are offering a tool steel that meets the real demands of today’s die casting industry—high toughness, reliable hardenability, and stability even in very large molds,” says Marc Schmitz, Sales Director at Kind & Co Edelstahl.

With the industry’s shift toward larger shot weights, more complex geometries, and greater functional integration within individual cast parts, tool materials are being subjected to significantly higher mechanical and thermal loads. MT1 addresses these challenges through a combination of high toughness, homogeneity, and hardenability. According to the company, the steel enables uniform hardness distribution even in large mold dimensions, ensuring predictable tool performance throughout its entire service life.

A key development objective was also to minimize the risk of bainite formation during heat treatment. This is particularly important for molds with complex geometries, where thick and thin cross-sections typically pose challenges to achieving a stable microstructure. The alloy composition of MT1 is said to provide greater dimensional stability, lower scrap rates, and a longer mold service life. In addition, MT1 exhibits high tempering resistance, allowing the tool to retain its mechanical properties even under demanding cyclic thermal loads. In practical terms, this is expected to result in more stable process conditions, longer maintenance intervals, and increased operational efficiency.