High wear resistant deep drawing tools made of coated polymers

A methodology for the rapid production of drawing tools with high wear resistance to form free-form shaped sheet metal parts is developed. Hard material shells are thermally sprayed on an original mould and supported by a polymer. The bonded shell is removed from the original mould and acts as the surface of the forming tool. Deep drawing experiments show that the wear resistance of these hybrid tools is adequate to form high-strength steels. The tools are a suitable alternative to existing tool systems for the intended use in small up to medium size productions.