As part of the "HiperFormTool“ project, it was investigated how the cycle time during press hardening can be significantly reduced by additively manufactured, active tool components. The thermal behavior of the tools and the forming process were simulated for different conformal cooling geometries.

On the basis of the simulation results and taking advantage of the geometric freedom of Laser Beam Melting, an innovative, contour-aligned cooling system was derived. In addition, a concept for sensor integration was developed and tested within the project.

The developed tempering system allows for a reduction of the holding time in the press hardening process by 70% with the same precision and hardness of the components. The thermocouple integrated into the tool punch allows for accurate documentation of the temperature profile. More than 1,500 components were formed using the tool saving the project partner about 3 hours of production time.

Technical Details:

• AM-Technology used: Laser Beam Melting (LBM)


• Material: 1.2709 (X3NiCoMoTi18-9-5)


• Dimensions (AM functional structure):
  Ø 129 x 43 mm³ (Stempel)
  Ø 132 x 14 mm³ (Niederhalter)
  200 x 200 x 43 mm³ (Matrize)