What are the current trends in tool and mold making?
In the industries that we supply to toolmakers, we are experiencing a fundamental paradigm shift in how production tools are used. For us, the focus must therefore be on the product - the technology must follow. The upcoming changes in vehicle technology, for example, will therefore also have an impact on the way we work in the future. Following the trends in e-mobility and interiors, we assume that more and more complex plastic parts will be used in vehicle technology in the future. These components, including those made of metal, will be fundamentally different from today's, as both the technical and social view of vehicles will change: The importance of, for example, climate control elements, e-motor and sub-drive systems or battery packs will increase. To support sustainability, we toolmakers are also working on reducing energy consumption in the production of plastic and metal parts. In the spirit of so-called blue ecology, we are therefore focusing on technical solutions rather than bans and renunciations. This strategy goes hand in hand with our efforts to counteract the migration of tool technology abroad.

How important are precision and minimal tolerances in this environment?
German toolmaking companies are characterized by the provision of production tools with a high degree of complexity and accuracy. What is new is that in the recent past, these quality features do not only refer to the dimensional accuracy of the tools - it is also about the process capability and repeatability in the production of components that are manufactured with these tools. Tool and mold making companies must be measured by this factor if they want to be competitive in the future. Understanding how the product is manufactured is the basis for how the players in the industry must function: The toolmakers' performance is the most precise cog in the "production gearbox" - and the companies must also always be in control of the entire system. Because precision can only be achieved with robust processes. And only with robust processes is it possible to earn money. Our aim is therefore to maintain our technological leadership in the global market through research and development and the resulting innovative strength. This is precisely where the VDWF supports the local, predominantly small and medium-sized tool and mold making companies in competition with their international rivals, which also include large companies with several thousand employees.

What role does 3D printing play in tool and mold making now and in the future, and where does the process reach its limits in terms of tolerances?
Additive manufacturing has become a completely normal manufacturing process in tool and mold making, just like milling or eroding, for example. Accuracies in the micrometer range, rapid prototyping and sintered tool inserts are now standard in our industry. 3D printing is also becoming increasingly faster and cheaper, but we will still not be able to build complex tools and molds that produce large quantities exclusively using additive manufacturing in the future. The requirements are too heterogeneous for that. The trend is that there will be more and more hybrid processes for manufacturing tools. However, a rethink is necessary here in order to be able to take a holistic view of production in the future.