The R&D team at DeepForm has spent the past year expanding the DeepForm process to more geometries and materials. That work now has a tool of its own: our first full-scale prototype die, built to form dual phase steel automotive parts, and painted bright pink — which is how it came to be known as Barbie.
A tool built for research, not production
Most dies are designed to do one job, repeatedly and well. This one was designed to be changed. It is highly adjustable, which lets us vary the conditions trial by trial and build a much clearer picture of how our process behaves on high strength steels.
Whiston Industries were instrumental. They worked with Omer (Head of R&D) and Juliet (R&D Engineer) on a design carrying far more complexity than a typical production die — including pressing stages one and two within a single stroke — before manufacturing the tool and hosting the trials at their site in Cradley Heath.
How the project came about
The project was facilitated by the Technology Developer Accelerator Programme (TDAP), created by the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC). Being accepted onto the programme allowed us to build a purpose-built R&D toolset and to advance our understanding of the process significantly.
It would also not have been possible without Jaguar Land Rover, and their commitment to investing in research and development in support of their CO2e reduction targets.
Omer and Juliet have been working on the project for over a year. Manufacture of the tooling began in November 2025, and the first try-out was conducted in August 2026.
The first trials
The initial trials were very successful. It was a pleasure to bring Martha, our summer engineering intern, along with us, and we were proud to show the die in action to both JLR and ArcelorMittal, who supplied the steel blanks.
Next, we will begin exploiting the die’s adjustability to deepen our understanding of the DeepForm process and its effects on high strength steels.
And the pink?
The colour was Juliet’s suggestion, and the toolmaker was persuaded. A bright pink casting is quite a contrast to the typical pressing environment, and we think that suits both our values and the novel nature of what we are doing. The nickname has given the die, and the project around it, an extra bit of character and recognisability.
It is only a bit of paint, but it stands out. Hopefully a bit like us.
