13th International Tooling Conference - Tooling 2025

When processing long products in particular, the process chain from steel production to the finished component is very long and generally optimized for large quantities. In contrast, the quantities for defense applications are extremely low compared to the automotive industry. Despite the high production costs, additive manufacturing of components can have advantages here because, for example,...

This manuscript investigates the properties and performance of Osprey® HWTS 50, a lean hot work tool steel with 0.22 mass % carbon, in contrast to standard AISI-H13 and H11 grades (~0.4 mass %). The steel was manufactured using the laser powder bed fusion process (L-PBF) and subjected to sliding wear tests as well as gas nitriding. Three different conditions were evaluated: as-built (AB),...

The production of complexly shaped parts like molds with integrated cooling channels by additive manufacturing represents a promising approach by eliminating the need for specific tooling, reducing lead times, and minimizing the material footprint. Unfortunately, typical carbon-martensitic steels used to produce such components often suffer from crack formation during additive manufacturing...

The additive manufacturing of complex shapes and medium-sized parts by Directed Energy Deposition-Arc (DED Arc/M) presents a promising approach by eliminating the need for specific tooling and minimizing resource use. However, DED-Arc/M results in microstructures differing distinctly from those observed in conventionally processed, cast materials. This is attributed to the process immanent...

In-situ alloying via laser-based powder bed fusion of metals (PBF-LB/M) has gained attention
as an alternative to pre-alloyed powders. In steel making, this method is particularly
advantageous for the additivation of carbides like titanium carbide (TiC) which should not
fully melt during the PBF-LB/M process. On the one hand side, this ensures that the carbon
content in the steel...

The service life of press hardening tools is a decisive factor for the efficiency of production processes, particularly in the hot forming of galvanized and AlSi-coated sheet metal. With the EvolutionClad 58 coating solution, which is applied by laser deposition welding, the service life is significantly increased compared to through-hardened variants. This approach to tool manufacturing is...

Conformal cooling channels (CCC) are essential in plastic injection moulds to enhance cooling and reduce the cycle time. Recent advances in metal additive manufacturing (AM) make such fabrication possible. However, the utilisation of AM in modern mould-making is still low due to higher manufacturing costs. This article reports designing and manufacturing an 8-cavity plastic injection mould...

Additive manufacturing (AM) provides a unique opportunity to have freedom in design. Often it is necessary to perform post treatment processes on the printed component to adjust the mechanical properties. This is particularly true for martensitic H13 tool steels manufactured with laser-powder bed fusion (L-PBF) where repeated thermal cycles as the result of the addition of the new top layer,...

Die casting tools are subject to extreme thermal and mechanical stresses which manifest themselves in a variety of wear mechanisms and often premature failure. The necessary repair and maintenance of the tools result in enormous costs for the foundries and place a heavy burden on the economic efficiency of the die casting process. This is exacerbated by the fact that the manual repair welding...

Additive manufacturing (AM) using Directed Energy Deposition (DED) has emerged as a potential technique for repairing components of high-performance materials like K340 tool steel. K340 is a high-carbon, chromium-molybdenum-vanadium alloyed cold-work tool steel known for its exceptional mechanical properties, making it ideal for demanding applications such as forming and stamping tools and...

There is a growing interest in adapting various metal additive manufacturing (AM) technologies to produce multi-material components. This is particularly appealing in the tooling industry, where combining properties like hardness, corrosion resistance, and toughness from different alloys within a single tool can greatly enhance performance. Significant efforts have been made to adapt powder...

Based on the concept of combining the advantages of standard carbon martensite with those of maraging, carbide strengthened Ni-Co-Cr-Mo steels were introduced over 40 years ago. These steels contained up to 0.4 wt.% C in combination with Ni (up to 10 wt.%), Co (up 8 wt.%) and additions of Mo, Cr and V. This development stemmed from the need to combine high yield strength, and wear resistance...

Hot work tool steels are generally used among others for applications in aluminum pressure die-casting. Laser based additive manufacturing (AM) technologies allow producing dies and inserts with complex geometries and conformal cooling, resulting in higher product quality and increased process profitability. Nowadays only few steel powder alloys for AM of dies and tools are adopted widescale....

For cold work tool steel applications, additive manufacturing is an attractive technology that provides opportunities to manufacture tools with complex geometries with minimal machining to the net shape. In the present work, a chromium-molybdenum-vanadium LMD Vanadis 4 Extra© cold work tool steel was manufactured using the direct energy deposition (DED) method. Process parameters were varied...