A2 Flat Ground - Tool Steel

Characteristics

A2 Flat Ground, is an air hardening chromium alloy die steel that replaces O1 Flat Ground when safer hardening, less distortion and increased wear resistance are required. A2 Flat Ground is made from fine grain, electric furnace air-hardening, 5% chrome tool steel. It is a superior quality steel which has excellent wear and abrasion resistance properties. Characteristics of A2 Flat Ground include - good machinability, high compressive strength, very good non-deforming properties, deep hardening, and high dimensional stability after hardening and tempering. A2 is furnished with a fully spheroidized structure and is 100% free of decarb and other surface imperfections. A2 Flat Ground is ground to a surface finish of up to 35Ra on six sides and is free from defects and decarburization. Sold in annealed state to be heat-treated. Made of AISI/SAE type A-2 steel, annealed for easier machining. These standard sizes are ground to a satin finish on four sides, free of decarburization, held to tight tolerances in squareness.

AISI A2 Cold Work Tool Steel air hardening, with maximum dimensional stability during heat treatment, offering high abrasion resistance and good toughness. Generally supplied annealed to HB 231 max. A2 steel is an air hardening, cold work, tool steel. A 5% Chromium steel which provides high hardness after heat treatment with good dimensional stability. It is heat treatable and will offer a hardness in the range 59-62 HRC.

Properties:

High carbon and high chromium, ledeburitic 12% Cr alloyed cold work tool steel, excellent abrasion resistance due to a large volume of carbides in the microstructure, high cutting ability with edge holding properties, high compression strength, excellent deep hardenability and toughness properties, dimensional stability during heat treatment, high resistance to softening at elevated temperatures. Suitable for nitriding and electrical discharge machining.

Rockwell Hardness is about 59-62C, Corrosion Resistance Low, Machinability Medium, Depth of Hardening Deep, Weldability Difficult, Grindability Medium, Wear Resistance High, Distortion in Heat Treating Lowest, Overall Toughness Medium, Decarburization Resistance Medium, Strength Medium, Resistance to Heat Softening Medium

• Specifications: ASTM A681, QQ-T-570, AISI A2
• AKA: A2 flat bar, A2 premachined
• Applications: shear blades, dies, punch plates, etc.
• Tolerances: Thickness = +/- .001", Width = +.005/-0

Applications

• AISI A2 steel takes a place in tool steel range between AISI O1 and AISI D2, offering an excellent combination of good wear resistance and toughness. It may be regarded, therefore, as a “universal” cold work steel.
• For cutting operations the good toughness of AISI A2 gives excellent resistance to chipping of the cutting edge. In many cases tools made from this steel have given better tooling economy than high-carbon, high-chromium steels of the D3/W.-Nr. 2080 type.
• AISI A2 steel has much better machining and grinding properties.It can be used to make Bending Dies, Blanking Dies, Block Gauges, Cams, Coining Dies, Cold Forming Dies, Cold Shears, Cold Trimming Dies, Forming Dies, Knurls, Machine Parts, Mandrels, Plastic Mold Dies, Punch Plates, Punchers, Reamers, Ring Gauges, Roll Threading Dies, Rolls, Shear Blades, Slitters, Stamping Dies, Threading Taps, Trimming Dies, etc.

A2 Flat Ground Pictures