Research project

EIS-KW connects additive manufacturing with temperature-controlled forging-tool development.

The project sits at the intersection of forging-tool duty, cooling and heat-management concepts, material selection, SLM / LPBF, LMD, monitoring and wear evaluation.

Discuss a tooling pilot Back to research projects

TRUMPF TruPrint 3000 SLM machine for compact detailed metal additive manufacturing

Publicly funded research project

From tool temperature to manufacturable additive tooling concepts.

EIS-KW is a research project around forging-tool performance, temperature control, cooling and heat-management concepts, material route, manufacturing feasibility and wear evaluation. The public story is practical: additive manufacturing only creates value for forging tools when design, material, process route, finishing and validation are planned together.

Tool requirementsReview tool geometry, load, temperature, cycle time, surface requirements and existing damage mechanisms.

Heat managementEvaluate cooling and temperature-control ideas as part of the manufacturing route, not as isolated CAD features.

Manufacturing routeCompare SLM / LPBF, LMD and hybrid options against geometry, material, finishing and inspection constraints.

Wear evaluationConnect tool condition, surface state, temperature regulation and wear-rate analysis into the project evidence plan.

Research route

The project connects technical decisions across design, process and validation.

For forging tooling, the useful question is whether additive manufacturing improves the tool concept in a way that can be manufactured, finished and evaluated.

1 / Requirements

Start with the forging tool, process temperature, press load, cycle time, target surface quality, current failure mode and available tool-life data.

2 / Cooling and material logic

Review cooling-channel concepts, heat-management targets and hot-work material routes together so the design does not outrun the process.

Inspection equipment for additive manufacturing quality review

3 / Manufacturing and validation

Plan the additive route, post-processing, sensor or monitoring context, inspection evidence and wear evaluation before presenting results.

Technology connection

EIS-KW belongs next to SLM, LMD and hybrid process selection.

Tooling research can use powder-bed logic for compact detailed features, LMD logic for local material addition or surface routes, and hybrid logic when final tolerances and functional surfaces need finishing.

SLM / LPBFRelevant where compact geometry, internal features, fine detail or cooling-channel concepts fit the powder-bed build logic.

LMDRelevant where local build-up, repair logic, surface modification or larger tool features are better handled by directed deposition.

Hybrid routeRelevant when additive manufacturing creates the tool feature and machining, grinding, heat treatment or inspection completes the route.

Compare process routes Open LMD / SLM decider

Pilot discussion

What to send for a related tooling discussion.

A useful EIS-KW-style discussion starts with the real tool duty and the current failure mode, not with a generic additive manufacturing request.

Tool dataCAD, drawing, working surface, current material and heat-treatment route.

Process dataTemperature range, cycle time, press force, lubrication or spray strategy and current tool-life data.

Damage dataPhotos, wear mechanism, crack condition, failed surfaces and criteria for tool replacement.

Target routeCooling idea, sensor access, surface target, tolerance needs and inspection requirements.

Start a tooling feasibility review Review validation planning

Publication details

Authorship and technical context.

Revision 1.0

Published: January 2026
Last technical review: January 2026
Page scope: Research and development context

Author

Julian KrellMaterial scientist and managing director

Material selection, feasibility and project scope

Technical reviewer

Manish SharmaIndustrial AI and decision systems

Process monitoring, image processing and LMD/DED data systems

Reference basis

Approved public project material

This page describes research and development work. Production use requires project-specific review.

Recommended next steps

Pick the next page by what you need to decide.

Continue with a relevant service, case study, technical article, FAQ or feasibility request.

Connect research with a process question

Use public research pages to understand the technical direction, then define what still needs component-specific trials and validation.

ArticleResearch Spotlight: BreitBahnDED and Why Wider Beads Matter for Industrial Productivity Public infrastructure projectDuisburg Bridge Components: More Than 750 kg Produced with LMD ArticleLarge Structural LMD for Bridge Components: Lessons from the Duisburg Bridge Project PageTechnology and equipment ServiceQuality

2 more related items are available through the linked hub pages.

Metal AMStart manufacturing RFQ

Discuss a controlled feasibility study

Provide the component objective, material, available reference data and the decision that the study should support.

ArticleFunctionally Graded Materials with DED/LMD: When a Gradient Outperforms a Single Alloy Public infrastructure projectDuisburg Bridge Components: More Than 750 kg Produced with LMD ArticleLarge Structural LMD for Bridge Components: Lessons from the Duisburg Bridge Project Internal demonstratorFunctionally Graded LMD Pipe Demonstrator FAQDesign for LMD: geometry, machining and inspection access ServiceMetal AM: LMD & SLM

One more related item is available through the linked hub pages.

Metal AMStart manufacturing RFQ