Disclosed are methods related to making a stamped article and articles and assemblies made therefrom. The methods include providing a partial replica of the stamped article having opposed first and second major surfaces, and then coupling the partial replica to a walled enclosure to provide a mold assembly having upper and lower chambers separated from each other by the partial replica. Compositions can be hardened in the upper and lower chambers to provide upper and lower tools having a shape complemental to the first and second major surfaces. After removing the upper and lower tools from the mold assembly, a deformable sheet can be pressed between the upper and lower tools to form the stamped article.

Disclosed are methods related to making a stamped article and articles and assemblies made therefrom. The methods include providing a partial replica of the stamped article having opposed first and second major surfaces, and then coupling the partial replica to a walled enclosure to provide a mold assembly having upper and lower chambers separated from each other by the partial replica. Compositions can be hardened in the upper and lower chambers to provide upper and lower tools having a shape complemental to the first and second major surfaces. After removing the upper and lower tools from the mold assembly, a deformable sheet can be pressed between the upper and lower tools to form the stamped article.

A forming tool including an additive manufactured polymer shell defining a first side and an opposite second side. The forming tool includes a support structure mechanically connected to the second side of the shell. The support structure may be formed by pouring a molten backfill material into the shell, and solidifying the backfill material. The backfill material includes a low melting temperature metal, fusible alloy, or other element. The solidified backfill material has a strength and rigidity greater than the polymer used to make the shell. The first surface of the shell includes a complex surface for bringing into contact with a material in a stamping process to form a stamped part.

A forming tool including an additive manufactured polymer shell defining a first side and an opposite second side. The forming tool includes a support structure mechanically connected to the second side of the shell. The support structure may be formed by pouring a molten backfill material into the shell, and solidifying the backfill material. The backfill material includes a low melting temperature metal, fusible alloy, or other element. The solidified backfill material has a strength and rigidity greater than the polymer used to make the shell. The first surface of the shell includes a complex surface for bringing into contact with a material in a stamping process to form a stamped part.

Provided are: a cold work tool having excellent wear resistance; and a method for manufacturing the cold work tool. A cold work tool which has an ingredient composition that can be prepared into a martensite structure by quenching and which has a martensite structure, wherein the hardness of the cold work tool is 58 HRC or more, the area ratio of a carbide having an equivalent circle diameter of 5 m or more in the cross-sectional structure of the cold work tool is 4.0% by area or more, and the carbon solid solution fraction, which is expressed by the ratio of the mass ratio of the amount of carbon that is present in the form of a solid solution in the structure of the cold work tool to the mass ratio of the amount of carbon that is contained in the whole of the cold work tool, is 75.0% or more. A method for manufacturing a cold work tool, which is suitable for manufacturing the aforementioned cold work tool.

Provided are: a cold work tool having excellent wear resistance; and a method for manufacturing the cold work tool. A cold work tool which has an ingredient composition that can be prepared into a martensite structure by quenching and which has a martensite structure, wherein the hardness of the cold work tool is 58 HRC or more, the area ratio of a carbide having an equivalent circle diameter of 5 m or more in the cross-sectional structure of the cold work tool is 4.0% by area or more, and the carbon solid solution fraction, which is expressed by the ratio of the mass ratio of the amount of carbon that is present in the form of a solid solution in the structure of the cold work tool to the mass ratio of the amount of carbon that is contained in the whole of the cold work tool, is 75.0% or more. A method for manufacturing a cold work tool, which is suitable for manufacturing the aforementioned cold work tool.

The present invention teaches a process of measuring and grinding tools in can/cylindrical body production, allowing reduced production downtime, reduced cost and a predictive tool wear capability, which process allows more accurate stocking of tool inventory by means of tracking individual tools in use and providing advanced diagnostics to the tool room. This includes not just out-of-spec alarms from QA but also predictive alarms regarding cans produced by each tool, in-spec can weights and wall thicknesses, information on tool sizes being used in production, tools in inventory, pulled from inventory and other stock balancing information. The invention further teaches a system of equations for prioritizing grinding to maintain optimum tool inventory levels.

The present invention teaches a process of measuring and grinding tools in can/cylindrical body production, allowing reduced production downtime, reduced cost and a predictive tool wear capability, which process allows more accurate stocking of tool inventory by means of tracking individual tools in use and providing advanced diagnostics to the tool room. This includes not just out-of-spec alarms from QA but also predictive alarms regarding cans produced by each tool, in-spec can weights and wall thicknesses, information on tool sizes being used in production, tools in inventory, pulled from inventory and other stock balancing information. The invention further teaches a system of equations for prioritizing grinding to maintain optimum tool inventory levels.

A vanadium silicon carbonitride film includes vanadium, silicon, carbon, and nitrogen, wherein when vanadium element concentration/(vanadium element concentration+silicon element concentration+carbon element concentration+nitrogen element concentration) in the film is defined as a, and silicon element concentration/(vanadium element concentration+silicon element concentration+carbon element concentration+nitrogen element concentration) in the film is defined as b, 0.30a/b1.3 and 0.30a+b0.70 are satisfied, and a total of the vanadium element concentration, the silicon element concentration, the carbon element concentration, and the nitrogen element concentration in the film is 90 [at %] or more.

A vanadium silicon carbonitride film includes vanadium, silicon, carbon, and nitrogen, wherein when vanadium element concentration/(vanadium element concentration+silicon element concentration+carbon element concentration+nitrogen element concentration) in the film is defined as a, and silicon element concentration/(vanadium element concentration+silicon element concentration+carbon element concentration+nitrogen element concentration) in the film is defined as b, 0.30a/b1.3 and 0.30a+b0.70 are satisfied, and a total of the vanadium element concentration, the silicon element concentration, the carbon element concentration, and the nitrogen element concentration in the film is 90 [at %] or more.