SURFACE MODIFICATIONS OF MARAGING STEELS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MOULDS AND DIES

Low-carbon. high-alloy. precipitation hardening MARAGING steels have been developed in the early sixties of the last century as a high strength structural materials for application in aeronautical and missile engineering Due to their excellent properties. such as high hardenability. good toughness. and high resistance to thermal fatigue. and due to simple heat treatment (without protective atmosphere) with very small distortions. MARAGING steels are successfully used for the fabrication of moulds and dies The main drawback of these steels is their relatively low wear resistance, particularly if the die is subjected to extensive wear during service The paper presents an overview of existing MARAGING steels used in mould manufacturing and gives their general properties Also the results of the applied modification and coating processes are presented with a special focus on the increase in wear resistance