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1.2316 Plastic Mold Steel in Application: Which Mold Steel Fits Different Plastics?

Buying mold steel, your biggest worry is not the cost, but wasting money on the wrong material. If you pick the right steel grade, molds stay shiny after 500,000 shots. If you pick the wrong one, rust spots show up at only 50,000 shots. 1.2316 Plastic Mold Steel is not the best choice for all plastic molds, yet it is the only good option for certain working cases. This article talks about working conditions of different plastic materials, and clearly tells you when you have to use 1.2316 Plastic Mold Steel, and when you do not need it.

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1.2316 Plastic Mold Steel
1.2316 Plastic Mold Steel
DIN 1.2316
DIN 1.2316
1.2316 steel turned bar
1.2316 steel turned bar
1.2316 steel milled surface
1.2316 steel milled surface
1.2316 milling service
1.2316 milling service
1.2316 material milled surface
1.2316 material milled surface

Different Requirements of 1.2316 Plastic Mold Steel for Various Plastics

Plastic TypeCorrosion RiskRecommended Steel GradesNecessity of 1.2316 Plastic Mold Steel
PP / PEAlmost no corrosionP20, 718❌ Not required. Standard pre-hardened steel works fine
ABSContains tiny amounts of acidic additivesP20 with chrome plating, 718⚠️ Optional. Ordinary steel with surface treatment is acceptable
PCSlight material decomposition under high-temperature molding718, S136⚠️ Optional. S136 is cheaper
PA (Nylon)Glass fiber reinforced versions mainly cause wearS136, H13❌ Wear resistance is the main demand, corrosion is minor
PVCReleases corrosive HCl gas1.2316✅ Mandatory; the only practical option
POM (Polyacetal)Releases formaldehyde during thermal decomposition1.2316✅ Highly recommended; obvious corrosion risk

Cooling Channel Design: Key Cost-Saving Points for Proper Use of 1.2316 Plastic Mold Steel

Cooling takes 60 to 70 percent of the injection molding cycle. Faster cooling means higher production output. 1.2316 Plastic Mold Steel has medium thermal conductivity from 16 to 20 W/m·K. Its thermal conductivity is lower than P20’s 30 W/m·K. It is a bit higher than S136’s 15 W/m·K. This brings one clear rule. You need better cooling channel design for 1.2316 molds than P20 molds. Follow these practical tips. Make cooling channels 10 to 15 percent wider than channels in P20 molds. Set the gap between two channels to 3–4 times the channel diameter. P20 molds can use a gap of 5 times the diameter. Keep the distance between channels and mold cavity surfaces at 12–18 mm. Too short a distance reduces mold surface strength. Too long a distance slows cooling down. Small water flow or poor channel layout will make heat transfer much worse. The steel itself is not flawed. The cooling design fails to fit this steel’s heat transfer traits.

Breakdown of Factors Affecting the Service Life of 1.2316 Plastic Mold Steel

  • Steel chemical composition (30% weight): Sufficient chromium, nickel and molybdenum create reliable corrosion resistance.
  • Manufacturing process (25% weight): The forging ratio must be 4 or higher. Complete upsetting and drawing processes are required. No defects are found via UT testing. The internal material quality controls the fatigue life of large cross-section molds.
  • Mold design (25% weight): Keep even cooling. Add fillets at stress concentration positions. Avoid overly thin wall thickness. Design flaws are the top cause of early mold scrapping.
  • Operation and maintenance (20% weight): Do not strike the mold. Avoid forced disassembly. Perform regular passivation maintenance. Many high-quality molds are damaged due to improper operation by workers.

1.2316 Plastic Mold Steel has great material traits. Yet if factories skip forging steps, cooling pipes are poorly designed, and workers hit molds with hammers daily, the mold will break after only 50,000 shots. This is totally preventable. If all four points are handled properly, the mold can easily finish more than 300,000 molding cycles.

FAQ:

Q1: Is 1.2316 Plastic Mold Steel worth using for ABS molds?

A: ABS plastic causes little corrosion. P20 steel with chrome plating or 718 steel cost less. But if your factory uses the same standard, makes many molds and needs long-term rust protection, 1.2316 can cut chrome plating work and later care. It may not cost more when you calculate total spending. Its raw steel price alone is higher. You need to work out full life costs for exact results.

A: With the same cooling pipe layout, cooling time needs 10 to 15 percent longer. You can fix this gap by improving cooling pipe design. Make pipes wider, shorten the space between pipes and raise water flow. Normally the gap can drop to under 5 percent. We trade a small 5% cooling loss for strong rust resistance when making PVC molds. This choice saves money in the long run.

A:With proper use for PVC or POM plastic and regular care, it can run 200,000 to 350,000 shots. Poor maintenance brings rust spots at only 100,000 shots. Good daily care lets it hit over 500,000 shots. There is no fixed number for mold life. Molds made of the same steel can have very different shot counts in different factories.

Conclusion

It is easy to pick mold steel, but hard to pick the right one. You may wonder which plastics fit 1.2316 Plastic Mold Steel best to save cost, and how to design cooling channels without slowing down production. Engineers from Keyspark Steel can give you a free material evaluation. We help you make every ton of steel well worth your money.

📧 Email: Sales@keysparksteel.com
📱 Mobile/WhatsApp: +86 150 2405 6480

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