Forging die
The forging die is the shape in die forging: heated steel is pressed into shape by pressure. It is subjected to extreme mechanical and thermal loads and requires hot-work tool steel with extreme hot hardness and toughness.
What a forging die is
A forging die is one half of the die set used in closed-die forging: red-hot steel is pressed or hammered into the die cavity until it takes its shape.
The stress on the die
The die is exposed to extreme mechanical impacts and glowing temperatures at the same time. Plus rapid cooling from the coolant and erosion from scale. The result: cracks, especially at sharp edges and transitions.
The material
Forging dies need hot-work tool steel with maximum hot hardness and hot toughness – typically 1.2343, 1.2344, and for special cases tungsten-alloyed grades like 1.2567.