A process of producing a partially hardened metallic formed part comprises: heating a semi-finished product of hardenable hot-formable steel sheet to a hardening temperature; hot-forming the heated semi-finished product in a combined hot-forming cutting device into a three-dimensional formed part; cutting the formed part in the combined hot-forming cutting device; pressure-hardening the formed part in the hot-forming cutting device into a hardened formed part such that a first partial region is hardened by rapid cooling and that a second partial region of the formed part is heat-treated so as to comprise a greater ductility and a lower strength than the first partial region, wherein the operation of cutting the formed part takes place at least in one of the first and second partial region. A combined hot-forming cutting device can be used to produce a metallic formed part.

A process of producing a partially hardened metallic formed part comprises: heating a semi-finished product of hardenable hot-formable steel sheet to a hardening temperature; hot-forming the heated semi-finished product in a combined hot-forming cutting device into a three-dimensional formed part; cutting the formed part in the combined hot-forming cutting device; pressure-hardening the formed part in the hot-forming cutting device into a hardened formed part such that a first partial region is hardened by rapid cooling and that a second partial region of the formed part is heat-treated so as to comprise a greater ductility and a lower strength than the first partial region, wherein the operation of cutting the formed part takes place at least in one of the first and second partial region. A combined hot-forming cutting device can be used to produce a metallic formed part.

A controller alters a cycle time of a die arrangement, configured to hot stamp metal into components and having an active cooling system, based on an amount of heat transferred from the components to the active cooling system such that a grain structure of the components transitions from an austenitic state to a martensitic state.

A controller alters a cycle time of a die arrangement, configured to hot stamp metal into components and having an active cooling system, based on an amount of heat transferred from the components to the active cooling system such that a grain structure of the components transitions from an austenitic state to a martensitic state.

The hardness of a rail after the rail having a temperature equal to or higher than an austenite region temperature is forcibly cooled in a cooling facility is predicted. A plurality of sets of data for learning composed of a cooling condition data set and output data of hardness are acquired using a model that performs computing by using a cooling condition data set having at least a surface temperature of the rail before the start of cooling and the operating conditions of the cooling facility as input data and the hardness inside the rail after the forced cooling as output data.

The hardness of a rail after the rail having a temperature equal to or higher than an austenite region temperature is forcibly cooled in a cooling facility is predicted. A plurality of sets of data for learning composed of a cooling condition data set and output data of hardness are acquired using a model that performs computing by using a cooling condition data set having at least a surface temperature of the rail before the start of cooling and the operating conditions of the cooling facility as input data and the hardness inside the rail after the forced cooling as output data.

This Zn-plated hot stamped product includes a steel, a Zn-based plating layer, and an oxide layer, in which an upper layer which is a region on a surface side of the Zn-based plating layer has a two-phase structure of a Γ phase and an Fe—Zn solid solution, and a lower layer which is a region of the Zn-based plating layer excluding the upper layer has a single-phase structure of an Fe—Zn solid solution, an upper layer thickness and a lower layer thickness satisfy the following expression, a Mn content ratio of Max. Mn/Min. Mn, which is a ratio of a maximum value Max. Mn to a minimum value Min. Mn of an Mn content on a surface of the Zn-plated hot stamped product, is 10.0 or less, and an average value Ave. Mn is 0.5 to 7.5% by mass %.

0.20≤upper layer thickness/(upper layer thickness+lower layer thickness)≤0.80

A spray quenching system including a quench box configured to receive a part for quenching. The system may include mechanical arms disposed within the quench box and thermocouples disposed on the mechanical arms that may be moved to contact the part surface. The system may include non-contact temperature sensors within the quench box that measure the temperature part surface, and spray nozzles within the quench box that spray the part with a quenching fluid. The system may include a controller in electronic communication with the mechanical arms, the spray nozzles, the thermocouples, and the non-contact temperature sensors, that is configured to initiate a quenching process, receive temperature data, analyze the temperature data to determine a temperature difference value, determine that the temperature difference value exceeds a threshold temperature difference value, and adjust the quenching process if the temperature difference value exceeds the threshold temperature difference value.

A spray quenching system including a quench box configured to receive a part for quenching. The system may include mechanical arms disposed within the quench box and thermocouples disposed on the mechanical arms that may be moved to contact the part surface. The system may include non-contact temperature sensors within the quench box that measure the temperature part surface, and spray nozzles within the quench box that spray the part with a quenching fluid. The system may include a controller in electronic communication with the mechanical arms, the spray nozzles, the thermocouples, and the non-contact temperature sensors, that is configured to initiate a quenching process, receive temperature data, analyze the temperature data to determine a temperature difference value, determine that the temperature difference value exceeds a threshold temperature difference value, and adjust the quenching process if the temperature difference value exceeds the threshold temperature difference value.

An inductive hardening system for hardening a component includes a holding unit for holding the component, an induction coil configured to induce an electrical current in the component to heat the component, and a control unit configured to control the induction coil to produce a first amount of heat per unit area in the component until a predetermined temperature is reached and/or a predetermined time is elapsed and after the predetermined temperature is reached and/or the predetermined time is elapsed, to control the induction coil to produce a second amount of heat per unit area in the component, the second amount of heat being from 3% to 80% of the first amount of heat.