Lubricant savings in sheet metal forming through thermally oxidized wear protection layers

Abstract Increasing demands on quality, variety of shapes and complexity of deep-drawn components with simultaneous price stability make the development of innovative solutions in the field of deep-drawing indispensable. For ecological and economic reasons, there is a great interest in reducing the amount of lubricant required in forming processes to a minimum. In this work, tool coatings for forming tools are to be investigated and further developed in order to use their friction-reducing properties on the tribo-system and thus enable a reduction in the use of lubricants. For this purpose, in this research strip drawing tests are carried out to investigate the friction-influencing properties of different coatings and their potential for lubricant saving. Therefore, cylindrical forming heads are provided with different coating systems. Strips of aluminum sheet are drawn around the forming heads at an angle of 90°. The amount of lubricant applied is varied. Friction values are recorded and analyzed for each system. Wear mechanisms are identified, examined and evaluated macroscopically and microscopically. For this purpose, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscope (EDX) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) examinations are carried out. A statement on the potential of the investigated coatings for lubricant saving is derived from the results.