Plastic Mold Making

Aluminum 7075

Aluminum 7075 is the best used in low volume or medium volume projects, it is a high-strength material with a large percentage of zinc, with material involve commonly used resins, such as PP, PE, ABS, and nylon.

Aluminum 7075 ranks number one in common mold material, it can be heated and cooled very quickly. It machines well, although it may not be the cheapest material, some part of this cost can be recovered over larger production runs due to decreased cycle times.

Although aluminum 7075 ranks well on heat transfer and cost, it's still one of the least durable mold materials. Aluminum is not suitable for high clamping pressures because of the durability factor in mind, it shouldn't be used for injecting corrosive resins.

P20

P20 is the most widely used medium hard mold steel, good for volumes up to 50, 000 shots. It's reliable for general-purpose resins and abrasive resins with glass fibers.

P20 is more cost effective, it can sustain higher injection and clamping pressures, which are found on larger parts representing bigger shot weights. In addition, its machine is good and can be repaired via welding.

P20 has weaken resistance to chemically corrosive resins like PVC.

NAK80

NAK80 is similar to P20, is a medium hard mold steel for more applications. It's a good selection for  high clamping pressures, high volume production and resins with glass fibers.

NAK80 is corrosion resistant and doesn't need to be stress relieved, even after 250, 000 cycles. It is a tougher and faster medium hard mold steel than P20.

NAK80 is more expensive material than P20 or Al-7075.NAK80 doesn't transfer heat  as some other metals. This means potentially longer cycle times that can increase processing costs.

S136

S136 is a great selection for the parts take surface finish is the primary consideration, it is a high-purity stainless steel. S136 is ideal for  PVC, PP, PC, PMMA and other optical-grade transparent resins.

S136 is more corrosion resistant than NAK80, it can be polished to the highest level and is the top selection when optically clear surfaces, such as polycarbonates and acrylic, are a factor in production.

S136 is the lowest thermal efficient and with highest cost compared with other materials.

H13

H13 is an air-hardened mold steel, it is considered a “hot-work” steel and is a good selection for high volume production orders with continuous heating and cooling cycles.

H13 is easy to machine prior to heat treatment when the metal is relatively soft and also can keep close dimensional tolerances after more than one million uses. Another advantage is that it can be polished to mirror finish for clear or optical parts.

H13 is more expensive than aluminum or P20, In addition, a little better than NAK80, H13 has average heat transference but still doesn't stand up to aluminum in the heat-transfer category.