Challenges
toolcraft works closely with the Institute for Laser Technology (ILT) in Aachen. The reason: as soon as a promising technology emerges from the research laboratory, Christoph Hauck, Chief Technology and Sales Officer at toolcraft AG, is ready to transfer it to everyday production. This was the case with metal 3D printing in 2011, and it was very similar with laser deposition welding (LMD) in 2019. But it was the ILT researchers who made a well-known international consumer goods manufacturer aware of toolcraft's expertise. "The people there are first-rate visionaries," was the recommendation. The customer's application was exactly the kind that Christoph Hauck had hoped for when it came to LMD. A tool with a structured functional layer - created by milling to date - needed to be produced more cost-effectively and sustainably using LMD. The idea: The base body is made from a cost-effective material and the structures are applied using LMD. At the same time, this has the advantage that the tool can be easily repaired if the structures wear out. Although Mr. Hauck does not receive a firm order for this, he still takes the full risk and commissions TRUMPF to design a special machine. The special machine should not only be able to manufacture the tool, but everything to do with the topic of LMD should be possible, from the development of process parameters and material tests to quality and wear measurements.