PLASTIC MOULD STEEL

BÖHLER M398

voestalpine BÖHLER Edelstahl GmbH & Co KG

[Link]/bohler-edelstahl
1
FOR
HIGHLY
WEAR-
STRESSED
TOOLS
IN RESPECT OF VERSATILITY
AND PERFORMANCE

BÖHLER M398 MICROCLEAN is a martensitic chromium

steel produced with powder metallurgy. Due to its alloying
concept this steel offers extremely high wear resistance and
high corrosion resistance – the perfect combination for
highly wear-resistant tools.

MARKET REQUIREMENTS
Trends » Processing of reinforced plastics (glass fibres, …)
» Increasing screw speeds to increase capacity
↓
Consequences » Clear reduction of tool lifetime
» Higher costs for spare parts and maintenance
↓ » Diminished quality of the injection molded parts

Aim New PM plastic mold steel obtaining:

» Extremely high wear resistance
» Achievable hardness > 60 HRc in vacuum heat treatment
» Good corrosion resistance

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 Property profile of BÖHLER tool steels for the plastics processing industry

BÖHLER K390
BÖHLER M398

BÖHLER K190
BÖHLER M390
Wear resistance

BÖHLER M368

BÖHLER K890

12-18% corrosion resistant

chromium steels
8-12% chromium steels

abrasive plastics chem. aggressive plastics

Corrosion resistance *
* High tempered, weight loss test with 20% boiling acetic acid, 24 h.

BÖHLER PLASTIC MOULD STEEL 3

IMPROVED
PROPERTIES

ALLOYING CONCEPT

Increasing macro-hardness by increasing the primary

carbide volume consisting of:
» Vanadium-rich MC-carbides (VC ~3,000 HV)
» Chromium-rich M7C3-carbides (Cr7C3 ~2,200 HV)

Comparison of the chemical composition (%)

C Si Mn Cr Mo V W

BÖHLER M390 1.90 0.70 0.30 20.00 1.00 4.00 0.60

BÖHLER M398 2.70 0.50 0.50 20.00 1.00 7.20 0.70

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MICROSTRUCTURE
BÖHLER M398 BÖHLER M390

10 µm

~25.0% M7C3 ~5.0% MC ~2.5% MC ~18% M7C3

→ Primary carbide content increased to about 30 vol.%

BÖHLER PLASTIC MOULD STEEL 5

MATERIAL
PROPERTIES
Tempering chart (without subzero treatment)
highest corrosion resistance highest wear resistance
66

64
Hardness (HRC)

62 BÖHLER M398

60

58

56 BÖHLER M390

54

100 200 300 400 500 540 560 600

(210) (390) (570) (750) (930) (1000)(1040) (1110)
Tempering temperature in °C (°F)
Heat treatment: Austenitizing at 1150 °C (2100 °F) / 20 min. / 5 bar; Tempering 2 x 2 h

Tempering chart (with subzero treatment)

highest corrosion resistance highest wear resistance
66

64
BÖHLER M398
Hardness (HRC)

62

60 BÖHLER M390

58

56

54

100 200 300 400 500 510 530 600

(210) (390) (570) (750) (930) (950) (985) (1110)
Tempering temperature in °C (°F)
Heat treatment: Austenitizing at 1150 °C (2100 °F) / 20 min. / 5 bar; Subzero cooling: -70 °C, 1 x 2 h; Tempering 2 x 2 h

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 Retained austenite

30

25
Retained austenite (%)

20

15

10

< 1%

250 °C (480 °F) 540 °C (1000 °F)

BÖHLER M390 BÖHLER M398 BÖHLER M390 BÖHLER M398

Heat treatment: Austenitizing at 1150 °C (2100 °F) / 20 min. / 5 bar; without subzero cooling ; Tempering 2 x 2 h

→ Low amounts of retained austenite after hardening and low tempering improve hardenability of
BÖHLER M398 MICROCLEAN, especially when deep-freezing is not performed or possible

BÖHLER PLASTIC MOULD STEEL 7

 Impact energy

50
Impact energy (J), un-notched

40

30

20

10

58 HRc 61 HRc 58 HRc 61 HRc

250 °C (480 °F) 540 °C (1000 °F)

BÖHLER M390 BÖHLER M398 BÖHLER M390 BÖHLER M398

Heat treatment: Austenitizing at 1150 °C (2100 °F) / 20 min. / 5 bar; without subzero cooling; Tempering 2 x 2 h
Tested sizes:
BÖHLER M390 MICROCLEAN: Round bar, longitudinal, approx. 80 mm (3.15 inches)
BÖHLER M398 MICROCLEAN: Mother block, longitudinal, approx. 373 x 343 mm (14.7 x 13.5 inches)

Corrosion resistance

200
corrosive wear (g/m2h)

160

120

80

40

250 °C (480 °F) 540 °C (1000 °F)

BÖHLER M390 BÖHLER M398 BÖHLER M390 BÖHLER M398

Heat treatment: Austenitizing at 1150 °C (2100 °F) / 20 min. / 5 bar; without subzero cooling; Tempering 2 x 2 h
Weight loss test: Measured after 24h in 20% boiling acidic acid

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 WEAR RESISTANCE
ASTM G65 rubber wheel dry sand test

Test method A
Test load 130 N
Sand grain size 100 – 400 µm
Feed rate 340 g/min.
Feed chute Testing time 30 min.
Rubber rim Sliding distance 4309 m

Material sample
Steelwheel

Source: AC2T research GmbH

Abrasive medium

→ Wear volume caused by abrasion is calculated from mass loss and density of the sample

BÖHLER M398
Hardness (HRc)
40 66

35

30 64
Volume loss (mm³)

Hardness (HRc)

25

20 62

15
BÖHLER M390

10 60

Tempering 520 °C (970 °F) 200 °C (390 °F) 540 °C (1000 °F)
temperature:
BÖHLER M398 BÖHLER M398 BÖHLER M390
100 µm

→ BÖHLER M398 MICROCLEAN shows highest abrasive wear resistance

BÖHLER PLASTIC MOULD STEEL 9

ECONOMICAL
ADVANTAGES

PROPERTIES APPLICATIONS

» Extremly high wear resistance Due to its property-profile BÖHLER M398 MICROCLEAN
» High and isotropic dimensional stability during can be used for following applications:
heat treatment » Non return valves
» High hardenability and compressive strength with » Screws for injection moulding machines
>60 HRc » Tool inserts for injection moulding
» Good toughness » Extrem wear resistant components
» Good corrosion resistance » Cutting type instruments and knives
» Good grindability
» High gloss polishability

enable
» Long tool life, therefore reduced downtimes and
maintenance costs
» High precision components
» Consistant tool life

Advantages
» Increased productivity
» Reduced unit costs

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 BÖHLER M398 VS. BÖHLER M390

» Due to higher amount of primary carbides in M398MICROCLEAN (ca. 30 Vol.%) hardness, wear resistance
and compressive strength is significantly increased.

» In contrast impact energy is slightly lower in comparison to M390MICROCLEAN.

» Similar corrosion resistance.

BÖHLER grade Wear resistance Toughness Corrosion resistance

BÖHLER M390 vs. BÖHLER M398 + – =

BÖHLER PLASTIC MOULD STEEL 11

HEAT TREATMENT
RECOMMENDATIONS

Supplied condition
» Soft annealed with max. 330 HB

Hardening
» Austenitizing temperature: 1,120 to 1,180 °C (2,050 to 2,155 °F)
» Holding time after through-heating:
20 – 30 minutes for a hardening temperature of 1,120 to 1,150 °C (2,050 to 2,100 °F)
5 – 10 minutes for a hardening temperature of 1,180 °C (2,155 °F)
» Quenching media: Oil, N2

Achievable hardness
» 60 to 63 HRc

Tempering for highest corrosion resistance

» Deep freezing for transformation of retained austenite
» Slow heating to tempering temperature
» Time in furnace 1 hour for each 20 mm (0.79 inch) of workpiece thickness, but at least 2 hours
» For information on the achievable hardness after tempering please refer to the tempering chart.
» Tempering: 200 to 300 °C (390 – 570 °F)

Tempering for highest wear resistance

» Deep freezing recommended
» A deep freezing treatment immediately following hardening leads to increased tempering hardness values at
austenitising temperatures ≥ 1,150 °C (≥ 2,100 °F), [Risk of stress cracking]
» Slow heating to tempering temperature
» Time in furnace 1 hour for each 20 mm (0.79 inch) of workpiece thickness, but at least 2 hours
» For information on the achievable hardness after tempering please refer to the tempering chart.
» Triple tempering 20 °C (68 °F) above the secondary hardening maximum is necessary in order to achieve a complete
transformation of retained austenite.

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NUMBERS,
FACTS AND
DATES
Physical properties Thermal expansion between 20 °C and … °C (68 – … °F)
Modulus of elasticity at 20 °C (68 °F 231 x 103 N/mm2 100 °C 200 °C 300 °C 400 °C 500 °C

Density at 20 °C (68 °F) 7,46 kg/dm (0.268 lbs/in3)

3
10.4 10.6 10.9 11.2 11.5 10-6 m/(m.K)

Specific heat capacity at 20 °C (68 °F 490 J/(kg.K) 210 °F 390 °F 570 °F 750 °F 930 °F

Thermal conductivity at 20 °C (68 °F 15,2 W/(m.K) (105 Btu in/ft h°F)

2
5.78 5.89 6.06 6.22 6.38 10-6 in/in°F

Regarding applications and processing steps that are not

expressly mentioned in this product description/data sheet,
the customer shall in each individual case be required to
consult us.

BÖHLER PLASTIC MOULD STEEL 13

MACHINING
RECOMMENDATIONS
Turning with sintered carbide
Depth of cut mm (inch) 0.5 – 2 (.02 – .04) 1 – 4 (.04 – .16) 4 – 8 (.16 – .31) over 8 (over .31)

Feed mm / rev. (inch/rev.) 0.1 – 0.3 (.004 – .012) 0.2 – 0.4 (.008 – .016) 0.3 – 0.8 (.012 – .031) 0.5 – 1.5 (.020 – .060)

Cutting speed vc (m/min) (f.p.m) 130 – 200 (425 –655) 100 – 170 (330 – 560) 70 – 120 (230 – 395) 30 – 70 (100 – 230)

Recommended BOEHLERIT-geometry FP, FMP, MM MP, MRP, MM MRP, BMRS RP, BR, BRP

BOEHLERIT grade LCP15T, BCM25T LCP15T, LCP25T, BCM25T LCP25T, LC240F, BCM40T LC240F

ISO grade P15, M25 P15, P20, M25 P20, P30, M40 P30, P40

Condition: soft annealed. Figures given are guidelines only.

Turning with high speed steel

Depth of cut mm (inch) 0.5 (.02) 3 (.12) 6 (.24)

Feed mm / rev. (inch/rev.) 0.1 (.004) 0.4 (.016) 0.8 (.031)

BÖHLER-/DIN-grade S700 / DIN S10-4-3-10

Cutting speed vc (m/min) (f.p.m)

Tool life 60 min. 30 – 20 (100 – 65) 20 – 15 (65 – 50) 18 – 10 (60 – 35)

Rake angle 14° 14° 14°

Clearance angle 8° 8° 8°

Inclination angle -4° -4° -4°

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Milling with sintered carbide
Cutting speed vc (m/min) (f.p.m) 150 – 180 (490 – 590) 130 – 160 (425 – 525) 80 – 140 (260 – 460)

BOEHLERIT grade BCH10M, BCM35M BCH30M, BCM40M BCM40M, BCP40M

ISO grade H10, M35 H30, M40 M40, P40

Fz Milling 90° mm (inch) 0.1 – 0.25 (.004 – .010) 0.1 – 0.25 (.004 – .010) 0.1 – 0.3 (.004 – .012)

Fz Milling 45° mm (inch) 0.15 – 0.6 (.006 – .024) 0.15 – 0.6 (.006 – .024) 0.15 – 0.6 (.006 – .024)

Fz High feed cutting mm (inch) 0.6 – 1.8 (.024 – 0.071) 0.6 – 2.0 (.024 – 0.08) 0.6 – 2.0 (.024 – 0.08)

Drilling with sintered carbide

Drill diameter mm (inch) 3 – 8 (.12 – .31) 8 – 20 (.31 – .80) 20 – 40 (.80 – 1.6)

Feed mm/rev. (inch/rev.) 0.02 – 0.05 (.001 – .002) 0.05 – 0.12 (.002 – .005) 0.12 – 0.18 (.005 – .007)

BOEHLERIT/ISO-grade HB10 / K10

Cutting speed vc (m/min) (f.p.m) 50 – 35 (165 – 115) 50 – 35 (165 – 115) 50 – 35 (165 – 115)

Point angle 115° – 120° 115° – 120° 115° – 120°

Clearance angle 5° 5° 5°

Condition: soft annealed. Figures given are guidelines only.

BÖHLER PLASTIC MOULD STEEL 15

The data contained in this brochure is merely for general information
and therefore shall not be binding on the company. We may be bound
only through a contract explicitly stipulating such data as binding.
Measurement data are laboratory values and can deviate from practical
analyses. The manufacture of our products does not involve the use of
substances detrimental to health or to the ozone layer.

voestalpine BÖHLER Edelstahl GmbH & Co KG

Mariazeller Straße 25
8605 Kapfenberg, Austria
T. +43/3862/20-7181
F. +43/3862/20-7576
E. info@[Link]
[Link]/bohler-edelstahl

M398EN – 10.2018