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2Cr13 Material - Delivery in Pre-hardened Condition of 28-34HRC

2Cr13 material with pre-hardened delivery balances machining efficiency and final performance. It saves customers the step of in-house heat treatment, provides suitable machining hardness directly, and is especially suitable for manufacturing precision molds and mechanical parts.

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2Cr13 Material
2Cr13 Stainless Steel
2Cr13 Stainless Steel Equivalent
2Cr13 Steel

What Is Pre-hardened Delivery？

Pre-hardened delivery means the material is quenched and tempered before leaving the factory. The material reaches the set hardness range and then is sent to customers. Customers can cut the material directly after receipt, and no full heat treatment is needed. 2Cr13 material is commonly delivered pre-hardened at 28-34HRC. This hardness range balances machinability and service performance. The hardness is high enough to resist wear and deformation, but not too high to cause difficulty in later machining.

Why Choose 2Cr13 Material of 28-34HRC?

No Heat Treatment Needed, Shorter Production Cycle

In the traditional way, mold factories machine blanks first, then outsource quenching and tempering. It has long process steps and high risk of deformation. With 2Cr13 stainless steel in pre-hardened condition of 28-34HRC, users can do milling, drilling, wire cutting, grinding and EDM directly. The heat treatment step is removed, and delivery time can be cut by over 30%.

Uniform Hardness, Stable Machining Performance

28-34HRC is the best range for machining. It is harder than annealed soft steel (which sticks to cutting tools easily and gives poor surface finish), and softer than fully hardened steel (which wears tools fast). Pre-hardening uses bulk quenching and tempering. Hardness difference can be controlled within ±2HRC, to keep consistent machining performance on all parts of large workpieces.

Effective Deformation Control

Pre-hardened delivery of 2Cr13 steel avoids structure stress and thermal stress caused by quenching after finish machining. It solves heat treatment deformation in advance. It is especially fit for plastic molds and precision parts with complex cavities and high accuracy requirements.

Pre-hardening Treatment Process

Pre-hardening treatment for 2Cr13 material is realized by quenching and high temperature tempering.

Quenched of 2Cr13 Material

The quenched temperature is usually controlled at 980-1050℃, with oil cooling or air cooling. After quenched, the material hardness can reach above 45HRC.

Tempered of 2Cr13 Stainless Steel

High temperature tempered at 600-750℃ is carried out to adjust the hardness to the pre-hardened range of 28-34HRC. Some processes use low temperature tempered at 200-300℃ to get hardness of 28-35HRC. The selection of tempered temperature depends on the specific balance requirement of hardness and toughness.

The Properties of Pre-hardened 2Cr13 Material

The 2Cr13 properties under pre-hardened condition:

  • Tensile strength ≥635MPa
  • Yield strength ≥440MPa
  • Elongation ≥20%
  • Reduction of area ≥50%
  • Impact energy ≥63J

Pre-hardened 2Cr13 material at hardness of 28-34HRC still keeps good plasticity and toughness, and can bear certain impact load.

Quality Control of 2Cr13 Material

  • Hardness: use rockwell hardness tester to take multiple readings on material surface, confirm the hardness of 2Cr13 stainless steel is within 28-34HRC. Hardness variation of the same batch material shall be controlled in a reasonable range.
  • Chemical composition: confirm carbon content 0.16-0.25%, chromium content 12-14%, meet the requirements of GB/T 1220-2007 standard.
  • Metallographic structure: pre-hardened 2Cr13 shall have uniform tempered martensite structure, no obvious carbide segregation or network carbide.
  • Mechanical property report: test data of tensile strength, yield strength and impact energy of 2Cr13 material shall be provided.

FAQ of 2Cr13 Material

Q1: What happens if pre-hardened hardness of 2Cr13 material is below 28HRC?

A: 2Cr13 material lacks enough strength and wear resistance. The mold tends to deform and wear, failing to meet service requirements.

A: Network carbides raise the brittleness of 2Cr13 stainless steel. The material may crack under impact and reduce mold service life.

A: Yes. 2Cr13 steel at this hardness balances polishability and wear resistance, ideal for high mirror finish molds.

A: High-temperature tempered 2Cr13 has better toughness. Low-temperature tempered material has slightly higher hardness but lower toughness.

A: Take multi-point Rockwell hardness readings. Hardness variation of 2Cr13 shall stay within ±2HRC.

A: Yes. 2Cr13 stainless steel contains 12-14% chromium. It offers moderate corrosion resistance and fits food service environments.

Conclusion

2Cr13 stainless steel delivered in pre-hardened 28-34HRC condition is an efficient material supply method. It removes the quenching and tempering work for customers, and directly provides a hardness state fit for cutting. At the same time, it ensures the material has enough strength, wear resistance and corrosion resistance. For extrusion molds, injection molds, blow molds and medical device applications, pre-hardened 2Cr13 material is a reliable choice balancing efficiency and performance.

More 2Cr13 Material Resources

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