Development of Cooled Tools for Press Hardening of Boron Steel Sheets

Abstract

Two central topics of modern automotive constructions refer to automotive lightweight constructions and safety; this is best indicated by the most various developments in the context of body constructions. The consistent evaluation of cars by means of crash tests has led to the fact that new manufacturing variants combined with the use of high and ultra high strength materials represent a fundamental part of the body in white. One possibility to form such materials is given by the hot forming process. An innovative approach, namely to improve this procedure in economic and technological terms, is represented by the new tool system for tempered forming processes carried out at the Institute Tools & Forming (T&F). The integration of most complex cooling duct geometries by casting integral tube networks into the tool represents an innovative possibility to improve the cooling performance combined with the reduction of the cycle times.