Project vision Building accurate and robust models of the hot forming process requires a detailed understanding of a number of key technical questions pertaining to what is a technologically very complex process, including:  The physical metallurgy, microstructure and properties of modern hot formable steels during and after the hot stamping process  The thermophysical properties (thermal diffusivity, thermal expansion) of modern sheet steels and modern tool materials used in the hot stamping process  The constitutive behavior (strength, work hardenability, anisotropy) of the sheet material during forming  Real temperature-time histories of the formed sheet during hot forming, and heat transfer between sheet and tool  The behavior of the Al-Si coating applied to modern hot formable steels during heating and forming  The role of tool material and surface finish and the influence of different classes of surface coatings on the tribology of the hot forming The answers to these questions can be distilled down into a series of technical parameters and material data which are required for use in finite element simulation. The project aimed to develop methods and conduct experiments which would provide these technical parameters as a way of improving the quality and usefulness of finite element simulation tools for the hot stamping process. The overall goals of the project were  Increase understanding of technical features of the hot forming process  Develop new experimental methods for the analysis of hot forming  Enhance forming simulation accuracy  Shorten lead time for tool production  To maximize the efficiency of the forming tools relative to the cost  Increased productivity of the hot forming process