Ressource-efficient hot sheet metal forming by innovative die cooling with laser beam melted tooling components

Abstract

Additive manufacturing for tooling applications has seen a new boost with emergence of laser beam melting, a technology being capable of layer manufacturing completely dense parts and tool inserts in standard high-alloyed tool steel. Moulding applications have been the first in making use of the advantageous conformal cooling, e. g. in plastic injection moulding and aluminium high pressure die casting. Forming dies as another potential application for layer manufactured tooling have been scarcely addressed so far. The potential of additive manufacturing for added value in tooling applications has now been investigated for sheet metal forming processes. The paper presents results of a research project to apply laser beam melting to manufacture tooling for the hot sheet metal forming process of press hardening. The paper describes the shortcomings of current cooling channels in press hardening tools and the resulting waste of energy and unsatisfactory cooling effect in critical areas with insufficient target temp achievement and heat dissipation. The paper shows how an innovative cooling system has been implemented in the die through laser beam melted die inserts. Cooling of specific die areas has been realized by placing specially designed cooling channels very close to the die cavity, targeting shorter cycle times, improved mechanical properties of press hardened parts manufactured in the die and a reduction of energy consumption for cooling and idle times of forming presses. The paper presents the achieved results

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Design for Additive Manufacturing: Trends, opportunities, considerations, and constraints

“…Recent studies have focused on new applications of conformal cooling (e.g. hot sheet metal forming [240]), strategies for increased performance (e.g. profiled conformal cooling channels [17]), and indirect and hybrid AM for more efficient and cost effective production (e.g.…”

Functional, Technical and Economical Requirements Integration for Additive Manufacturing Design Education

“…In particular, these conformable cooling surfaces have been implemented in plastic injection tools and in aluminium diecasting tools (Pelaingre et al 2004). Recent studies have focused on new applications of conformal cooling such as hot sheet metal forming (Mueller et al 2013), strategies for increased performance such as profiled conformal cooling channels (Altaf et al 2013) and indirect and hybrid AM for more efficient and cost-effective production such as using AM to produce wax patterns for indirect tooling (Bernard et al 2003). AM technologies can be used to produce macrostructure topology optimized objects.…”