Ultima® M4: The Right Steel for the Toughest ... - Wilson Tool

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August 2013
Ultima ® M4: The Right Steel for the Toughest
Applications - Now in-stock for headed punches.
Selecting the right tool steel for your application can make a
significant difference in your machine’s production life, and
save you from substantial retooling costs or production
downtime. Tooling steels vary in their level of wear
resistance, compression strength or impact resistance, so it’s
important to take into account the particular needs of your
application when choosing the steel for your tooling.
Stampers who need a particularly tough and wear-resistant
tool steel will appreciate the performance of Impax Tooling
Solutions’ exclusive Ultima ® M4, a steel that was previously
only available on special order, but is now in stock for headed
punches.
Ultima M4 provides exceptional toughness and wear resistance
and though it can be used for any job, is specifically designed
for high tensile strength applications or for those using
abrasive materials.
In comparison with other steels, Ultima M4 showed 11% more wear toughness and 25% more wear
resistance over PM M4. It provided a whopping 86% more toughness and 64% more wear resistance
over standard M2 steel.
Applications using Ultima M4 resulted in significantly
reduced tool micro chipping, and substantial
reductions in downtime and retooling costs due to less
frequent tool replacement.
Manufacturers who need this level of steel toughness
will be glad that Ultima M4 is now an in-stock option
for our imperial- and metric-headed tools. Offering
stocked tooling in Ultima M4 means that you can have
your headed stamping tools with only 1-3 days lead-

time, which is down from a special-order lead-time of
10 days.
Ultima M4 tool steel is just one of the quality tool
steels available from Impax Tooling Solutions.
For more information about Ultima M4
premium tool steel, or to find the best tool steel for your stamping
application, contact your local sales engineer or the Impax Tooling
Solutions sales desk at 800-944-4671.
CUSTOMER PROFILE
Higher quality punches save time and
reduce production costs.
MANUFACTURING DAY 2013
October 4th is National
Manufacturing Day
Die Makers Manufacturing Corporation in Hazel Green,
Wis. Is a full-service tool and die shop, specializing in
long- and short-run production for industries such as
automotive, agricultural and appliance, among others.
Recently, the company was faced with a particularly
challenging stamping application producing a precision
chain product for one of its customers in the food
processing industry.
The application required the use of a .3225 inch round
punch and compound die running at 75 strokes per
minute to stamp holes in .095 inch 316L stainless steel
with less than .001 clearance.
Die Makers had been using a standard punch
manufactured with M2 tool steel but was experiencing
significant galling that required frequent downtime to
sharpen and replace the punches.
“We were getting severe galling on the punches. It was
peeling the coating off almost like you’d peel a
banana,” said Jacob Walsh, production manager for Die
Makers. “If we sharpened the punches down and really
tried to cut the head back to get as much of the life
National Manufacturing Day, sponsored by
the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association,
International, encourages manufacturers to
open their doors to the community to share
a positive and realistic view of today’s hightech
manufacturing world.
Manufacturing as an industry is viewed by
70% of Americans as essential to a strong
economy and national defense. However,
only 30% of parents encourage their children
to choose a career in manufacturing, and

out of the punch as we could, we would get
somewhere between 2,000 and 10,000 pieces.”
Walsh explained the application and showed the worn
punches to Scott Riley, the company’s sales engineer at
Wilson Tool, who suggested trying punches
manufactured using CPM3V tool steel and coated with
Wilson Tool’s exclusive Optima® coating.
With a micro hardness of 3,500, Optima coating far
exceeds the hardness levels that can be achieved with
conventional tool steels and typically outlasts
untreated tools by as much as seven times.
The combination of CPM3V and Optima coating
increased the number of hits to between 25,000 and
40,000. Using this same tool steel and Wilson Tool’s
premium OptimaX coating, the number of hits was
further increased to between 40,000 and 60,000 pieces.
OptimaX is Wilson Tool’s premium coating. It’s a twopart
coating process that provides all the hardness of
the Optima coating, plus added lubricity to reduce
galling even more.
However, it was the final combination of tool steel and
coatings that Die Makers tested that proved to be the
unquestionable winner. The punches were
manufactured with Wilson Tool’s exclusive Ultima® M4
premium tool steel and coated with OptimaX.
Punches and dies made from Ultima M4 tool steel have
significantly greater wear resistance, minimizing
common downtime problems like breaking, chipping,
cracking and tool fatigue. This greatly reduces the
amount of time spent sharpening or replacing tooling.
Not only did these new punches produce 110,000 hits,
they did it without ever needing to be sharpened. The
only reason Die Makers took them out of the machine
was because they reached the end of the order.
only 17% of people view manufacturing as a
top career choice.*
This is a shame, not only for the
manufacturing industry, but also for the
youth and job seekers who may miss out on
an opportunity for a fulfilling manufacturing
career. Todd Youngblood of Manufacturing
Revival Radio says that the high-tech world
of modern manufacturing is a clear fit for
youth who have an interest in technology.*
For this reason, Manufacturing Day aims to
connect companies with future generations,
educators and more to clarify and improve
the image of manufacturing as a viable and
promising career path.
Companies participating in Manufacturing Day
are encouraged to offer shop tours, hands-on
demonstrations, and/or presentations that
“tell their story” so that participants can
experience the true look, feel and
personality of today’s manufacturing world.
For more information or to host your own
event, visit the National Manufacturing Day
website.
On October 4, Wilson Tool invites you to
participate in our National Manufacturing Day
Open House at our global headquarters in
White Bear Lake, Minn.
For more information, see our event listing.
*Information compliments of the Fabricators
& Manufacturers Association, International
“When I pulled these punches out at 110,000 hits, you
could definitely see where the coating was beginning to
wear off,” said Walsh. “But they’re still making good
parts, holding their edge and not throwing a burr.
There’s no reason somebody couldn’t sharpen them,
throw them back in and possibly run another 90,000
parts on them.”
According to Walsh, even if you count out the cost of
the punches, it takes a lot of time to load, unload and
sharpen the punches. The cost of their labor is more
than the cost of the higher quality punches.

“Obviously, we’ve dramatically increased efficiency,
but the quality is also better and our costs are
reduced,” said Walsh. “The biggest benefit is that we
can put these dies in and run them and get good parts
for so long. We can keep this press running continuously
without having to replace the punch every ten thousand
hits.”
As profit margins shrink, the ability to put in a tool and
not have to worry about it again until the job is done is
a great benefit to fabricators as well as their
customers. Die Makers has been able to pass a good
portion of their own cost savings on to their customers.
HP Accu-Lock Retainers from Wilson Tool
Faces of Wilson Tool
Daniel Anderson
Machine Operator
METAL STAMPING FORUM
Featuring: Art Hedrick
From Tooling to Production:
Foundations of a Successful Stamping
Program.
Years at Wilson Tool: 32 years
What is your favorite aspect of your job?
I like the independent work environment of
the Impax division. It allows more
opportunity to improve quality and processes
and personal development.
What do you enjoy doing in your free
time?
Outdoorsman activities. Hunting, fishing,
shooting and hiking with family and friends.
What is something that people would be
surprised to learn about you?
I love to swim. But, not in a chlorinated
pool somewhere, only in the clear water
lakes and rivers of northern Wisconsin.
This October, the Impax Tooling Solutions division of
Wilson Tool will offer its second free Metal Stamping
Forum featuring Art Hedrick, owner of the training and
consulting firm Dieology.
Impax’s Metal Stamping Forums help both metal
stampers and tool and die builders understand and
overcome the challenges present in today’s stamping
environment. Held at the Wilson Tool International
If you had to eat only one food item for
the rest of your life, what would it be?
Cheese, of course. I’m from Wisconsin.
Where is the most interesting place you
have been? Why?
Germany. The history in Europe is so much
older than in the U.S. Buildings, roads and
structures that are centuries upon centuries
old and still in use today.

headquarters in White Bear Lake, Minn., the forum
features tours of the company’s plant, discussions with
and demonstrations by Impax Tooling Solutions experts,
and a three-part talk by Hedrick.
Hedrick’s talk will focus on the impact that the
specifics of tool design have on your overall stamping
program, taking into account press considerations and
production.
UPCOMING EVENTS
National Manufacturing Day
Oct. 4 - SIGNUP
For more information on this October’s Metal Stamping
Forum, or to register, click here.
Metal Stamping Forum
Oct. 9 - SIGNUP
© 2013 Wilson Tool International. All rights reserved.
Wilson Tool International 12912 Farnham Avenue, White Bear Lake, MN 55110 - 800-328-9646