Improving the wear resistance of tools for stamping

In the present investigation, the wear resistance of tools for the precision stamping of a mechanical part for the automotive industry is optimised. The investigation is divided into two stages. In the first one, the progression of damage in the punches and dies is assessed. Wear mechanisms are evaluated by means of observations and measurements in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). In the second stage, specific improvements are proposed based on the results of the first stage and are evaluated by specific field tests. The improvements include coating by physical vapour deposition with a AlCrN layer, production of the tools with hard metal and cryogenic treatment of the high-speed steel tools. The results show that all the proposed treatments help improve the performance of the tools, and the best improvements are displayed by the use of hard metals and coated tools.