Tool and mold makers use hardened steel or carbide for the production of punches, dies and injection molds to ensure a long service life, but this makes them more difficult to machine.
The decisive factor is the manufacturing process: Eroding, for example, is unbeatable, especially for the production of components with narrow and deep contours in large series. HSC milling, on the other hand, impresses with fast machining times, high surface quality, usually without reworking, and highly complex 3D contours. High-performance precision tools are important, either for manufacturing the electrodes from graphite or copper or for milling the steel or carbide itself. CemeCon has developed the diamond coating material CCDia CarbideSpeed especially for milling carbide. Various HiPIMS coating materials are available for machining steels. The diamond coating material is suitable for machining graphite electrodes, while the HiPIMS coating material AluCon is suitable for machining copper electrodes.
