Markforged Material – A2 Tool Steel for the Metal X System
A2 Tool Steel is a general purpose tool steel for cold-working applications.
What is A2 Tool Steel?
A highly versatile air-hardening tool steel, A2 is often regarded as a “universal” cold work steel. Considered easy to machine in the annealed condition, it has a high compression strength and good dimensional stability during hardening and tempering.
Who will use A2 Tool Steel?
The following industries often need parts that have an edge and stand up to wear:
- Sheet metal fabricators for bending, stamping, forming
- Manufacturers and assemblers for internal tooling and fixture
- Large machine shops for internal tooling purposes
When to print with A2 Tool Steel?
A2 Tool Steel offers a combination of good wear resistance (between O1 and D2) and toughness. Create cutting and forming tools for sheet metal fabrication and end use.
- Punches
- Dies (blanking, forming, stamping)
- Cold shears, shear blades
- Compression tooling
- Coining
- Cold forming
- Cutting and forming tools (functional metal prototypes)
- Jigs and fixtures, hybrid parts (by adding wear resistance)
- Knurling tools
- Mandrels
- Wear parts
Did you know?
- A2 Tool Steel can be heat-treated to increase hardness and durability.
- Markforged-printed and heat-treated A2 Tool Steel effectively matches wrought heat-treated A2 in hardness.
