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S136 vs 718 for high-volume electronics housings - which holds up better?
We're sourcing ABS electronics housings, roughly 300k shots a year per tool, and our China supplier is quoting both S136 and 718H for the cores. This is my first tooling project in Asia, so I'm trying to work out which grade actually makes sense rather than just taking the cheaper option. The parts have a cosmetic texture on the A-surface, so any polishing or wear issue shows up immediately and we can't afford frequent touch-ups. I've asked for hardness certs and their polishing experience but the answers have been vague so far. Has anyone run both grades on similar volume - how did they compare on wear, polishability and lead time for replacement inserts? Also keen to hear how you handled steel certification and verification from a distance. Any real-world numbers would really help.
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For 300k shots a year on ABS, both grades will run, but the question is what you're buying. 718H is pre-hardened around 290-330 HB, fine for the cavities, but on cores with tight shut-offs and thin walls it'll start polishing out and showing wear past a few hundred thousand shots. S136 (properly hardened to 48-52 HRC, not the pre-hardened S136H) holds shut-offs and texture far better and resists the acidic ABS off-gassing. My call: S136 for cores, 718H acceptable for cavity inserts if the geometry is simple. Whatever you pick, insist on the actual mill cert with the heat number, and verify hardness at three points on the block before they cut. Cheaper grade plus a soft core is where your flash and mismatch come from at year two.
#1 Marco Rossi
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