Gerd Reichardt¹, Manuel Henn², Mathias Liewald¹, Rudolf Weber², Thomas Graf²; ¹Institute for Metal Forming Technology, ²Institut fuer Strahlwerkzeuge

Conventional production of deep-drawn parts requires lubricants to prevent damage to components and tools. These lubricants must be applied before forming and washed off afterwards to enable subsequent processes. Furthermore, some of these lubricants can be harmful to humans and the environment. To counteract these disadvantages, a new tribo-system has been developed, using volatile media as lubricants. These media are injected directly into the friction zones via laser-drilled microholes integrated into the tool to reduce friction and prevent damage to contact surfaces. This article presents the latest findings from the field of ultrashort pulsed laser drilling, in which microholes with a depth of several millimetres and high aspect ratios are produced in hardened tool steel. Additionally, the latest advances in the characterisation of the novel tribo-system using stretch bending tests will be shown, as well as investigations on the influence of surface properties on friction conditions.