Evaluation of parameters for application of Laser Surface Texturing (LST) in tooling for the sheet-metal forming process

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effects of microcavities, diameter and depth, in tribological performance, of the application of laser surface texturing (LST) and LST gradient (LSTG) techniques, to understand and define the critical parameters of these techniques in sheet-metal forming tools. Design/methodology/approach: The paper studies the effect of studied critical parameters of LST and LSTG techniques, on block-on-ring configuration for tribology evaluation. Experimental design parameters for LST and LSTG are proposed and evaluated for the best tribology performance (COF and wear). Findings: The results show that the application of optimized LST process could represent a 42 per cent improvement on the COF and up to 86 per cent enhancement in the COF results for the LSTG application. Practical implications: The results show that LST and LSTG techniques present significant positive effects on the tribological properties of sheet-metal forming materials. Originality/value: This demonstrates the potential of LST technique applied to industrial tooling, and the LSTG pattern which further increases the benefits obtained with the LST technique, particularly in which friction and wear areas are critical. A response surface map is developed to determine the control parameters which are useful for the tooling design. These techniques could be used for metal-forming applications like deep-drawing, achieving an increased tool life.