Fraunhofer IWU optimizes toolmaking with additive manufacturing and topology analysis

The Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (IWU) in Chemnitz is exploring, as part of the projects AdTopoTool and EWAM, how additive manufacturing can be used to develop more efficient tools. The focus lies on the Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) process, which enables the production of complex geometries and integrated cooling systems. The goal is to design tools for injection molding and press hardening that are lighter, more durable, and thermally stable in order to reduce cycle times and energy consumption in production.

In many toolmaking companies, conventional manufacturing methods still dominate. These methods often result in heavy tools and inefficient temperature management due to geometric limitations. According to IWU researchers, the AdTopoTool project demonstrates that these constraints can be significantly reduced through topology-optimized, additively manufactured structures. Material is distributed in a targeted way to achieve maximum stiffness with minimal weight. The numerical methods developed within the project also enable precise prediction of the thermal and mechanical behavior of tools under real process conditions.

In laboratory tests, the researchers achieved a weight reduction of around 34 percent for an injection molding tool and about 28 percent for a press hardening tool — without any loss of dimensional stability. At the same time, cycle times were reduced by up to 60 percent for injection molding and nearly 50 percent for press hardening.

With the follow-up project EWAM, this approach is being further automated. The IWU is developing a script-based software plug-in that automatically designs cooling systems for additively manufactured tools. The application takes into account fluid dynamic, thermal, and manufacturing parameters and is intended to be compatible with common CAD programs. The institute aims to make it easier, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, to enter additive toolmaking and to establish the technology for industrial series production in the long term.