[cob]

trying to see if it even matters to heat treat d2 steel.
I am making a punch and die to press some parts have any of you guys dealt with d2 steel?
should i rough out the punch and die send it to heat treat to get it harden?
or should i just cut it to size and press parts?
anyone have sudjestions.

thank u

[mactec54]

trying to see if it even matters to heat treat d2 steel.
I am making a punch and die to press some parts have any of you guys dealt with d2 steel?
should i rough out the punch and die send it to heat treat to get it harden?
or should i just cut it to size and press parts?
anyone have sudjestions.

thank u

It would depend on how many parts you want to make, if you want it to last then it will need heat treating, the die can be finished machined just allow for grinding when you get it back as for the punch depending on the size you can buy off the shelf HSS punches ready to use, really need more information on size and shape

[Jim Dawson]

In it's annealed state, D2 is pretty soft and is not useful for punching. Once hardened, the only way to machine it is by grinding.

[cob]

I thought d2 was a good material to make punch and dies I thought it was a very strong material.
do you guys have any sudjestions .
I would like to buy some kind of steel that's very durable that will not get nick really easy.
I though of regular steel and case harding it but that's on about .030 deep that it gets harden
any sudjestion?
thank you for the replies.

[Jim Dawson]

D2 is one of the best steels for punches and dies, but it needs to be heat treated after machining. I have made a lot of punches, dies, and forming tools out of it.

[cob]

D2 is one of the best steels for punches and dies, but it needs to be heat treated after machining. I have made a lot of punches, dies, and forming tools out of it.

So this punch that I am cutting will have a .750 I.D hole thrue and the OD will be 3.00
Should I Finnish the part to size ?
Normally other material we send out sometimes the id shrinks or gets bigger
My concern is when i get back from (heat treating the ID. And OD might change)
Any ides or suggestions ?
Thank u

[Jim Dawson]

D2 can expand a bit on heat treating, but not much. A2 is a bit more stable in heat treat and almost as good as D2, just not quite as much wear resistance due to less chrome content.

Since the hole is a standard shape, I would just buy a punch & die button from Dayton Lamina and build holders for them out of 4140. Much easier and cheaper than making your own, and they come on size and heat treated. https://www.daytonlamina.com/sites/d...Kommercial.pdf

You can probably buy the punch & die from them for less than you would pay for the D2. A few months ago I bought 7 punches and die buttons from them and I think it was less than $250 for everything including shipping. Their normal ship time on stock stuff is about 3 days.