A Comprehensive Guide to H13 Powder

Overview of H13 Powder

H13 is a versatile chromium-molybdenum-vanadium hot work tool steel exhibiting very good resistance to thermal fatigue cracking and wear resistance. It has high hardness retention at elevated temperatures making it suitable for tools and dies used for hot forming, forging and casting applications.

Key characteristics of H13 powder include:

• Excellent hot hardness and thermal fatigue resistance
• Buona resistenza all'usura e tenacità
• High hardenability for increasing hardness through heat treatment
• Excellent machinability in annealed state
• Can be polished to fine surface finish
• Disponibile in varie gamme di dimensioni e morfologie

H13 powder is used to produce hot work tooling needed across several industries including automotive, aerospace, mining, die-casting etc. This article provides a detailed overview of H13 powder.

Chemical Composition of H13 Powder

The typical chemical composition of H13 powder is:

Elemento	% Peso
Ferro (Fe)	Equilibrio
Cromo (Cr)	4.75-5.5%
Molibdeno (Mo)	1.1-1.75%
Vanadio (V)	0.8-1.2%
Manganese (Mn)	0.2-0.6%
Silicio (Si)	0.8-1.2%
Carbonio (C)	0.32-0.45%

The key alloying elements like chromium, molybdenum and vanadium provide excellent heat resistance through formation of stable carbides.

Properties of H13 Powder

H13 powder possesses the following properties:

Proprietà	Valore
Densità	7.3 g/cm3
Punto di fusione	1420-1460¡«C
Conduttività termica	24 W/mK
Resistività elettrica	0.55 Ã×´Î.cm
Modulo di Young	200 GPa
Rapporto di Poisson	0.29-0.30
Resistenza alla trazione	1900 MPa
Limite di snervamento	1650 MPa
Allungamento	8-9%
Durezza	46-52 HRC

 

H13 maintains its hardness, strength and thermal fatigue resistance up to 600¡«C making it an ideal choice for hot work tool and die applications.

Production Method for H13 Powder

The common production methods for H13 powder include:

• Atomizzazione a gas?- High pressure inert gas used to atomize molten H13 alloy resulting in fine spherical powders with controlled size distribution.
• Atomizzazione dell'acqua?- High velocity water jet impacts and disintegrates molten metal stream into fine irregular powders. Lower cost but higher oxygen pickup.
• Legame meccanico?- Ball milling of iron and alloying element powders followed by sintering and secondary atomization.

Gas atomization provides the best control over particle characteristics like size, shape and microcleanliness.

Applications of H13 Powder

Typical applications of H13 powder include:

• manifattura additiva?- Used in laser powder bed fusion and binder jetting to produce hot work tooling inserts, dies, blow molds etc.
• Rivestimento con spruzzatura termica?- Applied using wire/powder arc spray methods to provide wear and heat resistant coatings.
• Stampaggio a iniezione di metallo?- To manufacture small, complex hot work parts with tight tolerances like forging dies.
• Metallurgia delle polveri?- Press and sinter process to produce hot forming tools and dies cost effectively.
• Materiale di apporto per la saldatura?- Used as flux cored wire providing excellent resistance to heat and wear in the welded component.

Specifications of H13 Powder

H13 powder is available in various size ranges, shapes and grades including:

• Dimensione particellare:Da 10-45 micron per i metodi AM, fino a 150 micron per i processi di spray termico.
• Morfologia:?Spherical, irregular and blended particle shapes. Smooth spherical powder provides optimal flow.
• Gradi:?Conforming to AISI, DIN, ASTM, and other equivalent standards. Custom alloys also available.
• Purezza:?Oxygen content from 100-2000 ppm depending on production method. Lower oxygen levels offer better performance.

Global Suppliers of H13 Powder

Some of the major suppliers of H13 powder include:

• Sandvik Osprey (Regno Unito)
• Erasteel (Francia)
• HC Stark (Germany)
• Dura-Bar Metal Services (USA)
• Tekna Advanced Materials (Canada)
• China National Petroleum Corporation Powder Group (CNPC)

These companies produce H13 powder using various atomization techniques and customized alloys tailored for specific hot work tool and die applications across industries.

Pricing of H13 Powder

Pricing of H13 powder depends on several factors:

• Livelli di purezza
• Particle size and morphology
• Metodo di produzione della polvere
• Volume di ordinazione
• Elaborazione aggiuntiva
• Fornitore e ubicazione geografica

Grado	Fascia di prezzo
Commerciale	$15-25 al kg
Elevata purezza	25-50 €/kg
Ultrafine	tra i 50 e i 120 dollari a kg
Grado speciale	$ 120-250 per kg

 

Gas atomized and high purity grades command much higher pricing than commercial H13 powder. Smaller quantities are also costlier.

Storage and Handling of H13 Powder

H13 powder requires the following controlled storage and handling:

• Store in sealed containers under humidity control to prevent oxidation
• Avoid fine powder accumulation to minimize dust explosion hazards
• Use proper grounding and PPE when handling powder
• Prevent contact with sparks, flames or ignition sources
• Follow recommended safety practices from supplier SDS

Inert gas glove box techniques are preferred for handling reactive alloy powders like H13.

Inspection and Testing of H13 Powder

Key quality control tests for H13 powder:

• Chemical analysis using OES or XRF to ensure correct composition
• Distribuzione delle dimensioni delle particelle secondo lo standard ASTM B822
• Analisi morfologica tramite imaging SEM
• Powder flow rate measured as per ASTM B213 standard
• Determinazione della densità mediante picnometria ad elio
• Verifica contaminazioni da ICP-MS
• Caratterizzazione della microstruttura mediante diffrazione di raggi X

Thorough testing ensures uniform chemistry, physical characteristics and microstructure suitable for application requirements.

Comparison Between H13 and D2 Tool Steel Powders

H13 and D2 are two tool steel powders compared:

Parametro	H13	D2
Tipo	Hot work steel	Cold work steel
Contenuto di Cr	4.75-5.5%	11-13%
V content	0.8-1.2%	0.7-1.2%
Resistenza al calore	Eccellente	Bene
Resistenza all'usura	Davvero ottimo	Eccellente
Resistenza	Più alto	Inferiore
Costi	Inferiore	Più alto

 

H13 resists heat and thermal fatigue cracking whereas D2 offers very high wear resistance. H13 provides better toughness and lower cost.

H13 Powder FAQs

Q: How is H13 tool steel powder produced?

A: H13 powder is commercially produced using gas atomization, water atomization and mechanical alloying followed by sintering. Gas atomization offers the best control of powder characteristics.

Q: What are the main applications of H13 powder?

A: The major applications of H13 powder include additive manufacturing, thermal spray coatings, metal injection molding, and powder metallurgy hot work tooling requiring excellent heat and wear resistance.

Q: What is the recommended H13 powder size for binder jetting AM?

A: For binder jetting process, the typical H13 powder size range is 20-45 microns with spherical morphology to enable good powder packing and binder infiltration.

Q: Does H13 powder require any special handling precautions?

A: Yes, it is recommended to handle H13 powder carefully under controlled humidity and inert atmosphere using proper grounding, ventilation and PPE.

Q: Where can I purchase H13 powder suitable for hot forging dies?

A: For hot work die applications, high purity H13 powder can be purchased from leading manufacturers including Sandvik Osprey, Erasteel, HC Stark, and Dura-Bar Metal Services.