In One Sentence
Mazteknik supplies plastic injection and metal mold makers with carbide end mills, EDM electrodes, metrology and technical hardware that protect surface finish on hardened steel — from a single source.
Mold-Making Processes
A typical injection mold or stamping die runs through:
- Soft milling (annealed steel) — pocket roughing
- Heat treatment (HRC 48–58)
- Hard milling — high-precision finishing on hardened surfaces
- EDM (sinker + wire) — sharp corners, deep ribs, fine cavities
- Polishing — final finish (Ra < 0.1 µm for mirror)
- Inspection + assembly — try-out and shut-tests
The right tool and holder at every stage can double or triple mold life.
Tooling for Hardened Steel
| Operation | Recommended Tool | Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| HRC 50–55 hard milling | TiSiN-coated carbide ball end mill | High Vc, low ae/ap, single pass |
| HRC 55+ hard milling | CBN insert end mill | Continuous lubrication, small steps |
| High-precision finish | Precision holder (HSK, ER) | 0.005–0.01 mm runout |
| EDM graphite electrode | Polished carbide end mill | High RPM, MQL |
| Sharp corner | Wire + sinker EDM | Wire: brass + zinc-coated |
| Polishing | Diamond paste + felt | Manual or auto-head |
How Mazteknik Approaches Mold Making
For mold makers we stock hard-milling end mills from AKKO, Vergnano, Mimatic, Iscar — ready to ship. When carbide ball end mills lose geometry, send them to our Tool Regrinding service rather than scrapping; the Zoller Genius 3 restores them at micron precision.
We also stock Insize and Mitutoyo comparators and Zoller presetters for mold try-out. Mold base hardware (pressure pads, slide plates, leader pins) is hard to source from one vendor — we handle that too.
Frequently Asked
How do we avoid surface micro-cracks on hardened steel? Small-step (ae < 0.1·D) high-speed strategy is the key to thermal control. Multiple light passes beat a single deep pass — the tool stays out of thermal-shock territory.
Carbide or CBN? For HRC 50–55, carbide is economical. Above HRC 55, CBN delivers 5–10× the tool life. The CBN insert costs more up front but pays back over the run.
Which holder standard for mold try-out? HSK and BIG-PLUS are standard in mold shops. Choose them over BT/CAT — repeatability is 2–3× better.
