Laser implantation of press hardening tools to influence the tribological and thermal properties for the process application

• Applicants: Dr.-Ing. Kai Hilgenberg; Professorin Dr.-Ing. Marion Merklein
• Subject Area: Primary Shaping and Reshaping Technology, Additive Manufacturing ; Coating and Surface Technology
• Term: from 2018 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 392669488

• Final Report Year: 2024

Final Report Abstract

Hot stamping has been established as a resource-efficient technology for manufacturing ultra-highstrength steel (UHSS), in order to use lower sheet thicknesses and part weights while maintaining or increasing the crashworthiness. Hot stamping is characterized as a combined forming and quenching process, which enables the production of geometrically complex structures with tensile strength of up to 2000 MPa. However, the application of conventional lubricant systems is not possible during hot stamping, since process temperatures > 800 °C occur. As a result, high friction values as well as tool wear appear at the blank-die interface, which lead to time and cost consuming tool maintenance intervals. Established wear protection measures, such as tool coating or structuring, could not achieve sustainable economic and ecological benefits. To extend the existing process limits, an innovative and promising surface engineering technology named laser implantation was investigated in this research project. This technique is based on the generation of dome-shaped and highly wear-resistant microfeatures by embedding hard ceramic particles on tools surfaces via pulsed laser radiation. This technology combines the principles of coating and structuring the tool topography. In order to analyze the potential of this surface engineering technology, the implantation behavior of various hard ceramic materials was examined, the thermomechanical and tribological behavior of the structures under hot stamping conditions was investigated as well as cause-effect relationships were derived. In this context, tailored and wearreducing surface modifications could be generated, which can be applied in deterministic patterns onto geometrically complex tool geometries. Experimental studies have shown that these surface configurations reduce the amount of adhesive wear and friction forces at the blank-die interface. By transferring the implantation technique to a demonstrator tool, it was also proven that an improved forming behavior and part quality compared to conventional tooling systems can be achieved. Due to the gained knowledge, a resource-efficient and tailored production of hot stamped parts can be aspired, which increases the potential of lightweight construction and leads to economic and ecological advantages in the form of lower scrap rates, higher quality grades and longer machine service lives.

Publications

• Investigations on TaC Localized Dispersed X38CrMoV5-3 Surfaces with Regard to the Manufacturing of Wear Resistant Protruded Surface Textures. Lasers in Manufacturing and Materials Processing, 7(1), 38-58.
  Spranger, Felix; Schirdewahn, Stephan; de Oliveira, Lopes Marcelo; Merklein, Marion & Hilgenberg, Kai
  
• Microstructural evolution and geometrical properties of TiB2 metal matrix composite protrusions on hot work tool steel surfaces manufactured by laser implantation. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 106(1-2), 481-501.
  Spranger, Felix; de Oliveira, Lopes Marcelo; Schirdewahn, Stephan; Degner, Julia; Merklein, Marion & Hilgenberg, Kai
  
• Tribological performance of localized dispersed X38CrMoV5-3 surfaces for hot stamping of AlSi coated 22MnB5 sheets. In: Oldenburg, M.; Hardell, J.; Caellas, D. (Hrsg.): Hot Sheet Metal Forming of High-Performance Steel – CHS², Wissenschaftliche Skripten, 2019, S. 357-364
  Schirdewahn, Stephan; Spranger, Felix; Hilgenberg, Kai & Merklein, Marion
  
• Untersuchung des tribologischen Einsatzverhaltens von lokal dispergierten Presshärtewerkzeugoberflächen. In: Merklein, M. (Hrsg.): Tagungsband zum 14. Erlanger Workshop Warmblechumformung, Druck Inform GmbH, S. 169- 178, ISBN: 978-3-00-064100-8
  Schirdewahn, S.; Spranger, F.; Hilgenberg, K. & Merklein, M.
  
• Laser Implantation of Niobium and Titanium-Based Particles on Hot Working Tool Surfaces for Improving the Tribological Performance within Hot Stamping. Defect and Diffusion Forum, 404, 117-123.
  Schirdewahn, Stephan; Spranger, Felix; Hilgenberg, Kai & Merklein, Marion
  
• Laser Implantation of Niobium and Titanium-Based Particles on Hot Working Tool Surfaces for Improving the Tribological Performance within Hot Stamping. Defect and Diffusion Forum, 404, 117-123.
  Schirdewahn, Stephan; Spranger, Felix; Hilgenberg, Kai & Merklein, Marion
  
• Localized dispersing of TiB2 and TiN particles via pulsed laser radiation for improving the tribological performance of hot stamping tools. Procedia CIRP, 94, 901-904.
  Schirdewahn, S.; Spranger, F.; Hilgenberg, K. & Merklein, M.
  
• Localized Laser Dispersing of Titanium-Based Particles for Improving the Tribological Performance of Hot Stamping Tools. Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing, 4(3), 68.
  Schirdewahn, Stephan; Spranger, Felix; Hilgenberg, Kai & Merklein, Marion
  
• On the influence of TiB2, TiC, and TiN hard particles on the microstructure of localized laser dispersed AISI D2 tool steel surfaces. Journal of Laser Applications, 32(2).
  Spranger, Felix; Schirdewahn, Stephan; Kromm, Arne; Merklein, Marion & Hilgenberg, Kai
  
• Verbesserung des tribologischen Einsatzverhaltens von Presshärtewerkzeugen durch Laserimplantation titanbasierter Hartstoffpartikel. In: Merklein, M. (Hrsg.): Tagungsband zum 15. Erlanger Workshop Warmblechumformung, Druck Inform GmbH, S. 165-176, ISBN: 978-3-00-066911-8
  Schirdewahn, S.; Spranger, F.; Hilgenberg, K. & Merklein, M.
  
• Generation of Tribosystems by Additive Surface Treatment on Tool Steel Substrate, European Symposium on Friction, Wear and Wear Protection
  Carstensen, N.; Schirdewahn, S.; Merklein, M. & Hilgenberg, K.
  
• Investigation of the thermal and tribological performance of localized laser dispersed tool surfaces under hot stamping conditions. Wear, 476, 203694.
  Schirdewahn, Stephan; Spranger, Felix; Hilgenberg, Kai & Merklein, Marion
  
• Untersuchungen zur Beeinflussung der Geometrie und Werkstoffeigenschaften laserimplantierter Werkzeugstrahloberflächen sowie zum tribologischen Einsatzverhalten, Dissertation, Technische Universität Berlin, Fraunhofer Verlag, Stuttgart, ISBN:978-3-8396-1777-9
  Spranger, F.
  
• Discontinuous laser dispersing of titanium nitride based hard ceramic particles for improving the tribological behavior of hot stamping tools. In: Oldenburg, M.; Hardell, J.; Caellas, D. (Hrsg.): Hot Sheet Metal Forming of High- Performance Steel – CHS², Wissenschaftliche Skripten, S. 187-194, ISBN: 9783-3-95735-150-0
  Schirdewahn, S.; Carstensen N.; Spranger, F.; Hilgenberg, K. & Merklein, M.
  
• Investigation on the thermo-mechanical properties of hot stamped parts by using laser-implanted tool surfaces. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 1270(1), 012114.
  Schirdewahn, S.; Carstensen, N.; Hilgenberg, K. & Merklein, M.
  
• Laser implantation of ceramic particles into hot working tool surfaces for improving the tribological performance within hot stamping. In: 6th European Steel Technology and Application Days
  Schirdewahn, S.; Carstensen, N.; Spranger, F.; Hilgenberg, K. & Merklein, M.
  
• Laser Implantation of Titanium-Based Particles into Hot Stamping Tools for Improving the Tribological Performance During Hot Sheet Metal Forming. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering, 301-309. Springer Nature Switzerland.
  Schirdewahn, Stephan; Carstensen, Niels; Hilgenberg, Kai & Merklein, Marion