6- Heat Treating -Tool Steels
Tool steels are steels used to make tooling.
Tooling can be a punch for a punch and die set (left), a knife blade roller for a shear press (right), or a mold cavity for a plastic injection mold . There are hundreds of applications for tool steels.
The most common heat treatable tool steels are "W" type which is quenched in water, "A" type which is quenched in air, and "O" type which is quenched in oil.
The above animation by Sridharan P on Youtube demonstrates how tool steel punches and knives are used in a punch and die set to pierce, form or cut softer materials. However "soft" is always relative to the hardness of the tools used.