After plenty of trial runs begun late in 2021 (using an aluminum-chromium-nitride tool coating), Gecom has found that YXR7 (0.8 C, 4.7 Cr, 1.3 W, 5.5 Mo, 1.3 V) performs best in trimming and forming applications. The firm has used the alloy for six trim punches and six forms, and on several additional small details.

“Our form details machined from D2 and DC53 tend to wash out pretty quickly,” says Davidson, “sometimes after only 50,000 hits, and then require resharpening. With the matrix-grade tool steels, not only do we get 200,000 hits or more between sharpenings, but each sharpening only requires our machinists to remove 0.010 in. or so of material, a dramatic improvement from the need to remove as much as 0.2 in. of D2 material for sharpening.”

Blanking Tools Require a Tougher Grade

For jobs requiring optimum toughness—progressive-blanking tools—Gecom trialed YXR33 (0.5 C, 4.2 Cr, 1.6 W, 2.0 Mo, 1.2 V). The performance has been stellar, the Gecom team reports, “outperforming a previously used powdered-metal tool steel by more than four to one,” says Gecom journeyman tool and die maker Kyle Land. “We’ve made well over 400,000 hits so far with that tool since the change without resurfacing. The tool holds three punches to blank out three parts per stroke.”

“We’ve been trialing the new steels for just over a year,” Davidson adds, “and the greatly improved performance has led to placing additional work orders with Diehl Tool Steel to try the matrix grades on other die details. The program has been a big hit so far, so we’re prioritizing the applications that we want to work on next.”

When the conversation turns to cost-justification, “the return on investment is a no-brainer,” Davidson insists. “The grades are more expensive than D2 but not as pricey as S7; however, we used to sharpen the D2 details weekly, and the deeper cuts when sharpening added up to 16 hr. of weekly tool maintenance. With the new matrix-steel tools, we’re running 4 weeks between sharpenings and only 8 hr. needed per sharpening. At the end of the day, we’ve reduced tool-maintenance time by more than 56 hr./mo.”

More Out-of-the-Box Thinking

The team at Gecom, a subsidiary of Japan-based Mitsui Kinzoku ACT, sees the tool-steel investigation as just another continuous-improvement project among many performed in recent years.

“With the economy the way it is and labor tight,” says Bishop, “we’ve been tasking our engineering department to find ways to make all of our operations more efficient and productive.”

This mindset is evident throughout the company's activities ranging from completing research, design and inhouse fabrication of an autonomous scanning door-striker inspection cell to working with partners to develop wire forming robotic cells.

“The drive toward innovation and lower costs has led to an impressive revamp of our tooling department,” Bishop says, noting that the toolroom runs two Haas machining centers (with one operator managing and programming both) as well as four conventional mills, two CNC lathes and an EDM room with two sinker machines and four wire machines. 

“We have always performed 99 percent of our tooling maintenance inhouse, but now we can operate as a job shop providing assembly and engineering as well.” he adds. MF

See also: Diehl Tool Steel Inc.

Technologies: Tooling

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