Iron & Steels
Technical classification of steel grades for targeted welding and material analysis — from plain carbon structural steel to armor steel.
Plain Carbon Structural Steels
Unalloyed structural steels are the standard materials in steel construction. They contain no intentional alloying elements, weld excellently, and cover most load-bearing applications with yield strengths from 235 to 460 MPa. The carbon equivalent is crucial for weldability.
Analyse & Artikel →Stainless Steels (Rust-Free)
Stainless steels are steels with at least 10.5% chromium, which protect themselves against corrosion through a self-healing passive layer. The three big families – austenitic, ferritic, and duplex – differ in structure, strength, and weldability. What matters most when welding: heat input, root protection, and the right post-treatment.
Analyse & Artikel →Tool Steels – Overview
Tool steels shape other materials. But behind this umbrella term are eight separate worlds – from the cold cutting edge to the glowing die-casting die. Each has its own requirements and its own rules when welding.
Analyse & Artikel →Cold Work Tool Steels
Cold work steels operate at room temperature and must primarily be hard and wear-resistant. They form sheets, cut threads, and punch contours. When welding, they are extremely crack-prone due to their high carbon content – preheating, a Nickel backing, and peening are mandatory.
Analyse & Artikel →Hot-Work Tool Steels
Hot work tool steels like 1.2343 and 1.2344 withstand temperatures of 500 °C and more without losing their strength — the trick is a CrMoV alloy with high hot hardness. When welding: use a matching CrMoV filler, exact preheating to 300–350 °C. And watch out: The same steel lives in three worlds with three different fillers.
Analyse & Artikel →Die-Casting Mold Steels
Die casting molds experience the most brutal thermal shock in tool making: aluminum over 600 °C under high pressure, then cooling – cycle after cycle. For that, you need hot work tool steel with maximum hot strength. When welding, every detail counts.
Analyse & Artikel →Injection Mold Steels
Injection molds shape plastic into precise parts. Thermally less stressed than die-casting molds, but surface finish matters even more: high-gloss polishable, dimensionally accurate, corrosion-resistant—and with glass-fiber-reinforced plastic, extremely wear-resistant. When welding, protect the polished surface and keep an eye on the invisible residual magnetism.
Analyse & Artikel →High-Speed Steels (HSS)
High-speed steels (HSS) are the materials of machining: drill bits, milling cutters, threading tools. They keep their edge even at red heat because they undergo secondary hardening when tempering. When welding, they are extremely demanding.
Analyse & Artikel →Mold Steels for Rubber & Elastomers
Rubber molds process elastomers – often filled with abrasive fillers like carbon black or silicates that wear the mold heavily. Add aggressive release agents. The mold must be wear- and corrosion-resistant.
Analyse & Artikel →Mold Steels for Glass
Glass molds give liquid glass its shape – from bottles to headlamp lenses. They are subjected to extreme heat and must remain dimensionally stable. Hot-strength steels with high scale resistance are required.
Analyse & Artikel →Mold Steels for Stone
Concrete molds press dry, highly abrasive mixes into blocks and slabs. The mold surface is literally ground away – maximum wear resistance is required, often with carbide inserts.
Analyse & Artikel →Mold Steels for Ceramics
Ceramic molds press moist, highly abrasive masses into bricks, tiles, and sanitary ceramics. The mass is abrasive and corrosive at the same time – wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant steels are required.
Analyse & Artikel →Powder Metallurgy Steels (PM)
Powder metallurgical steels aren't melted in liquid form but consolidated from metal powder and hot-compacted. This creates a fine, uniform structure with finely distributed carbides – at the same hardness, they're often tougher than conventionally melted steels. When welding, however, they behave like high-alloy tool steels.
Analyse & Artikel →Cast Iron Materials
Cast iron contains more than 2% carbon, which is precipitated as graphite during solidification. The graphite form – flakes, nodules, or compact – determines the properties: gray cast iron is brittle but strong in compression and vibration-damping, while ductile iron is tough and deformable. Repair welding requires special care due to the tendency for hardening and cracking.
Analyse & Artikel →Quenched and Tempered Steels
Quenched and tempered steels get a combination of high strength and good toughness through hardening and tempering – i.e., quenching and tempering. Typical representatives are 42CrMo4 and 34CrNiMo6. When welding, they are demanding because the heat-affected zone hardens and is prone to cold cracking without preheating.
Analyse & Artikel →Creep-Resistant & Pressure Vessel Steels
Heat-resistant steels maintain their strength at temperatures above 400 °C; pressure vessel steels must stay leak-tight and tough under internal pressure. They are found in power plants, refineries, and boilers. When welding, they are strictly regulated – preheating, low-hydrogen practices, and post-heating are mandatory.
Analyse & Artikel →High-Strength Fine-Grain Structural Steels
Fine-grain structural steels achieve yield strengths from 460 to 960 MPa – with good toughness. The trick lies in the fine grain through microalloying elements. When welding, they demand discipline: limited heat input, dry fillers, and the right preheating.
Analyse & Artikel →Case Hardening Steels
Case-hardening steels have low carbon content and are only carburized and hardened after shaping. This gives a tough core with a wear-resistant surface – ideal for gears and shafts. When welding, the condition matters: soft is easy to weld, hardened is risky.
Analyse & Artikel →Steel Casting
Cast steel is steel that is poured into a mold instead of being rolled – with a coarse cast structure, shrinkage cavities, and segregations. It is readily weldable, but the cast structure requires preheating and care. Typical applications are housings, couplings, and gear parts.
Analyse & Artikel →Spring & Bearing Steels
Spring steels and bearing steels are tuned for maximum strength and hardness. Spring steels like 50CrV4 need very high yield strength, while bearing steels like 100Cr6 have almost 1% carbon. Both are difficult to weld – welding destroys their special properties.
Analyse & Artikel →Wear-Resistant & Armor Steels
Wear-resistant steels like Dillidur and armor steels like Armox are designed for maximum hardness and wear resistance. Hadfield manganese steel even work-hardens itself under impact. When welding, each grade requires its own strict heat management.
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