8. Conclusion

An analysis of the operating conditions and the level of geometric precision for the components of a mold reveals two types of material: the material making up the carcass on the one hand, and the material making up the cavities on the other.

The carcass must have good impact resistance, medium hardness and high dimensional stability, which leads to the choice of structural steels or cold-work tool steels with a fine metallurgical structure.

For cavities, hardness and, above all, heat resistance are of prime importance, which leads us to hot-work tool steels with a very fine metallurgical structure, derived from conventional or powder metallurgy.

The need for very good steelmaking characteristics leads to a level of quality that only a few steelmakers can guarantee. The longevity of castings, whose machining cost...