UDDEHOLM MIRRAX® 40

Mirrax® is a trade mark registered in the European Union and in the U.S. reg. No. 3,481,025

This information is based on our present state of knowledge and is intended to provide general
notes on our products and their uses. It should not therefore be construed as a warranty of
specific properties of the products described or a warranty for fitness for a particular purpose.

Classified according to EU Directive 1999/45/EC

For further information see our “Material Safety Data Sheets”.

Edition 1, 11.2011
The latest revised edition of this brochure is the English version, SS-EN ISO 9001
which is always published on our web site [Link] SS-EN ISO 14001
 UDDEHOLM MIRRAX 40

General In addition, the combination of high hardness

with a high toughness results in a mould with
Uddeholm Mirrax 40 is a remelted stainless good resistance to indentations and minimize
tool steel supplied prehardened to 40 HRC. the risk of unexpected failures, leading to a
Uddeholm Mirrax 40 is produced using the safer mould and a prolonged tool life.
electroslag remelting (ESR) process—an
additional step in the steelmaking process that
Typical C Si Mn Cr Mo Ni V +N
ensures very clean steel with low sulphur analysis % 0.21 0.9 0.45 13.5 0.2 0.6 0.25
content (0.003% max.) and non-metallic Standard
inclusions. Consequently, Uddeholm Mirrax 40 specification AISI 420 modified
is capable of being polished to a very high Delivery
surface finish. condition Prehardened to 360–400 HB
Colour code Orange/green
Uddeholm Mirrax 40 is characterized by:
• excellent machinability
• excellent polishability
• excellent ductility and toughness
• uniform hardness even in large dimensions
Applications
• good indentation resistance • Injection moulds for corrosive and non-
• good corrosion resistance corrosive plastics
These properties combine to give a steel with • Plastic moulding of high surface finish
outstanding production performance. products (e.g., Bezels and casings for TV and
computers)
The practical benefits of good corrosion • Blow moulding of corrosive plastics or
resistance can be summarized as follows. high surface finish transparent products
• Lower mould maintenance cost (e.g. PET bottles)
The surface of cavity impressions retain their • Extrusion dies
original finish over an extended service life. • Constructional parts
Moulds stored or operated in humid condi-
tions require no special protection.
• Lower production costs Properties
Since cooling channels are less likely to be
affected by corrosion (unlike conventional Physical data
mould steel), heat transfer characteristics Hardened and tempered to 360 HB. Data at
and therefore cooling efficiency are constant room and elevated temperatures.
throughout the mould life, ensuring consist- Temperature 20°C 200°C 400°C
ent cycle times. (68°F) (390°F) (750°F)
Density
The benefit of the prehardened condition can kg/m3 7 700 – –
be summarized as follows. lbs/in3 0.278

• No hardening risks Modulus of elasticity

MPa 215 000 210 000 195 000
• No hardening costs psi 31.2 x 106 30.4 x 106 28.3 x 106
• Time saving, e.g. no waiting for heat Coefficient of
treatment thermal
expansion
• Lower tool cost (e.g. no distortion to rectify) /°C from 20°C – 10.6 x 10–6 11.4 x 10–6
/°F from 68°F 5.9 x 10–6 6.3 x 10–6
• Modifications easily carried out
Thermal
conductivity*
W/m °C – 20 21
Btu in/(ft2h °F) 139 145
Specific heat
J/kg °C 460 –
Btu/lb, °F 0.110

* Thermal conductivity is very difficult to measure, the

scatter can be as high as ±15%

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UDDEHOLM MIRRAX 40

Mechanical data Hardening

TENSILE STRENGTH Note: It is recommended to do soft annealing
before hardening.
All specimens have been taken from a bar with Preheating temperature: 500–600°C (930–
the dimension 508 x 306 mm (20" x 12"), 1110°F).
hardness 360 HB. Austenitizing temperature: 1000–1025°C (1830–
1880°F) but usually 1020°C (1870°F).
Testing 20°C 200°C
temperature (68°F) (390°F) The steel should be heated through to the
Tensile strength, Rm austenitizing temperature and held at tempera-
MPa 1 150 1 060
psi 163 800 153 700 ture for 30 minutes.
Yield strength, Rp0.2 Protect the tool against decarburization and
MPa 1 020 930
psi 147 900 134 800 oxidation during the hardening process.
Reduction of area, Z
% 35 38 Quenching media
Elongation, A5
% 13 11 • Vacuum with sufficient positive pressure
• High speed gas/circulating atmosphere
In order to obtain the optimum properties, the
cooling rate should be as fast as possible
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH
within acceptable distortion limits. Temper the
Compressive yield strength tool as soon as its temperature reaches 50–
at room temperature Rc0.2, N/mm2 1100
psi 159 500 70°C (120–160°F).

Tempering
Corrosion resistance Choose the tempering temperature according
to the hardness required by reference to the
Moulds made from Uddeholm Mirrax 40 will
tempering graph. Temper minimum twice with
have good resistance to rusting caused by
intermediate cooling to room temperature.
humid working and storage conditions and
Lowest tempering temperature 250°C (480°F).
when moulding corrosive plastics under
Holding time at temperature minimum
normal production conditions.
2 hours.

TEMPERING GRAPH
Heat treatment The tempering curve is approximate.
Uddeholm Mirrax 40 is intended for use in the
Hardness, HRC
as-delivered condition i.e. hardened and 54
tempered to 360–400 HB. 52
When the steel is to be heat treated to 50
higher hardness, instructions below are to be 48
followed. 46
Austenitizing temperature
44 1020°C (1870°F)
42
Soft annealing 40
Protect the steel and heat through to 780°C 38
(1430°F). Cool at 10°C (50°F) per hour to 36
600°C (1110°F), then freely in air. 34
32
30
Stress relieving 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 °C
390 480 570 660 750 840 930 1020 1110 °F
After rough machining, the tool should be
Tempering temperature
heated through to max. 550°C (1020°F),
holding time 2 hours, then cool freely in air.

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 UDDEHOLM MIRRAX 40

END MILLING
Machining
Type of end mill
recommendations Carbide
Cutting data Solid indexable
The cutting data below are to be considered parameter carbide insert HSS
as guidelines and may require adjustments
Cutting
based on equipment, selection of cutting tools, speed (vc)
etc. More information can be found in the m/min 60–100 80–120 20–251)
f.p.m. 200–330 260–390 66–82
technical report “Cutting data recommenda-
Feed (fz)
tion”. mm/tooth 0.03–0.202) 0.08–0.202) 0.05–0.352)
in/tooth 0.001–0.0082) 0.003–0.0082) 0.002–0.0142)
The recommendations, in following tables, are Carbide
valid for Uddeholm Mirrax 40 hardness approx. designation
ISO – P15–P40 –
380 HB. US C6–C5
1)
For coated HSS end mill vc = 25–30 m/min (82–98 f.p.m.)
Turning 2)
Depending on radial depth of cut and cutter diameter

Turning with carbide Turning

with HSS
Cutting data Rough Fine Fine Drilling
parameter turning turning turning
HIGH SPEED STEEL TWIST DRILLS
Cutting speed (vc)
m/min 80–130 130–180 10–15 Drill diameter Cutting speed (vc) Feed (f)
f.p.m. 260–430 430–590 33–49 mm inch m/min f.p.m. mm/r i.p.r.

Feed (f) –5 –3/16 10–12* 33–39* 0.05–0.15 0.002–0.006

mm/r 0.2–0.4 0.05–0.2 0.05–0.3 5–10 3/16–3/8 10–12* 33–39* 0.15–0.20 0.006–0.008
i.p.r. 0.008–0.016 0.002–0.008 0.002–0.01 10–15 3/8–5/8 10–12* 33–39* 0.20–0.25 0.008–0.010
15–20 5/8–3/4 10–12* 33–39* 0.25–0.30 0.010–0.014
Depth of cut (ap)
mm 2–4 0.5–2 0.5–3 * For coated HSS drill vc = 16–18 m/min (52–59 f.p.m.)
inch 0.08–0.16 0.02–0.08 0.02–0.1
Carbide
designation ISO P20–P30 P10 – CARBIDE DRILL
US C6–C5 C7 – Type of drill
Coated Coated
carbide carbide or Cutting data Indexable Solid Carbide
cermet parameter insert carbide tip1)
HSS = High Speed Steel Cutting
speed, (vc)
m/min 100–120 80–100 70–80
f.p.m. 330–390 260–333 230–260
Milling Feed, (f)
mm/r 0.05–0.252) 0.10–0.253) 0.15–0.254)
FACE AND SQUARE SHOULDER MILLING i.p.r. 0.002–0.0102) 0.004–0.0103) 0.006–0.0104)
Milling with carbide 1)
Drill with replaceable or brazed carbide tip
2)
Cutting data parameter Rough milling Fine milling Feed rate for drill diameter 20–40 mm (0.8”–1.6”)
3)
Feed rate for drill diameter 5–20 mm (0.2”–0.8”)
Cutting speed (vc) 4)
Feed rate for drill diameter 10–20 mm (0.4”–0.8”)
m/min 80–120 120–150
f.p.m. 260–390 390–490
Feed (fz)
mm/tooth 0.2–0.4 0.1–0.2
in/tooth 0.008–0.016 0.004–0.008 Grinding
Depth of cut (ap) A general grinding wheel recommendation is
mm 2–5 –2 given below. More information can be found in
inch 0.08–0.2 0.02–0.08
the Uddeholm publication “Grinding of tool
Carbide designation ISO P20–P40 P10–P20
US C6–C5 C7–C6 steel”.
Coated carbide Coated carbide
or cermet
Type of grinding Delivery condition
Face grinding straight wheel A 46 HV
Face grinding segments A 36 GV
Cylindrical grinding A 60 KV
Internal grinding A 60 JV
Profile grinding A 120 JV

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UDDEHOLM MIRRAX 40

Welding Photo-etching
Good results when welding tool steel can be Uddeholm Mirrax 40 has a very low inclusion
achieved if proper techniques are used. Precau- content and a homogeneous microstructure.
tions such as preheating, heat treatment, post The high cleanliness level provides for good
weld heat treatment, joint preparation, selec- photo-etching/texturing characteristics.
tion of consumables, etc. are required. The special photo-etching process that might
For best result after polishing and photo- be necessary because of Uddeholm Mirrax
etching use consumables with a matching 40's good corrosion resistance is familiar to all
chemical composition to the mould steel. the leading photo-etching companies.
Further information is given in the Udde-
Welding method TIG holm brochure “Photo-etching of tool steel”.
Working temperature 200–250°C (390–480°F)
Welding consumables STAVAX TIG-WELD
Hardness after welding 54–56 HRC
Electrical-discharge
Heat treatment
after welding Temper 560°C (1040°F), 2 h machining
If spark-erosion, EDM, is performed in the as
Small repairs can be made at room tempera-
delivered condition, the tool should then be
ture.
given an additional temper at approx. 550°C
(1020°F). If the steel has been rehardened, the
LASER WELDING additional tempering temperature should be
For laser welding Uddeholm Stavax laser weld 25°C (50°F) lower than the last tempering
rods are available. See the information leaflet temperature used. However, the best is to
“Uddeholm Laser Welding Rods”. remove the affected layer completely by
polishing or stoning.
Further information is given in the Uddeholm Further information can be obtained from
brochure “Welding of Tool Steel” or nearest the Uddeholm brochure “EDM of tool steel”.
Uddeholm sales office.

Further information
Polishing Please contact your local Uddeholm office
Uddeholm Mirrax 40 has a very good polish- for further information on the selection, heat
ability in the hardened and tempered condi- treatment and application of Uddeholm tool
tion. steel, including the publication “Steel for
A slightly different technique, in comparison moulds”.
with other Uddeholm mould steel, should be
used. The main principle is to use smaller steps
at the fine-grinding/polishing stages and not to
start polishing on too rough of a surface. It is
also important to stop the polishing operation
immediately after the last scratch from the
former grit size has been removed.
More detailed information on polishing
techniques is given in the brochure “Polishing
of tool steel”.

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 Network of excellence
UDDEHOLM is present on every continent. This ensures you
high-quality Swedish tool steel and local support wherever you
are. ASSAB is our wholly-owned subsidiary and exclusive sales
channel, representing Uddeholm in the Asia Pacific area.
Together we secure our position as the world’s leading supplier
of tooling materials.

[Link] [Link]
 UDDEHOLM 111101.400/ TRYCKERI KNAPPEN, KARLSTAD 201111021
UDDEHOLM is the world’s leading supplier of tooling materials. This
is a position we have reached by improving our customers’ everyday
business. Long tradition combined with research and product develop-
ment equips Uddeholm to solve any tooling problem that may arise.
It is a challenging process, but the goal is clear – to be your number one
partner and tool steel provider.

Our presence on every continent guarantees you the same high quality
wherever you are. ASSAB is our wholly-owned subsidiary and exclusive
sales channel, representing Uddeholm in the Asia Pacific area.
Together we secure our position as the world’s leading supplier of
tooling materials. We act worldwide, so there is always an Uddeholm
or ASSAB representative close at hand to give local advice and support.
For us it is all a matter of trust – in long-term partnerships as well as in
developing new products. Trust is something you earn, every day.

For more information, please visit [Link], [Link]

or your local website.