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Vehicle manufacturers are rapidly electrifying their vehicle fleets, making thermal-electrical component modeling increasingly critical in the design of on-board thermal management systems. Problems surrounding thermal management are amongst the largest challenges faced by electric vehicle and hybrid electric vehicle designers today, especially when it comes to battery packs. Batteries have a small safety envelope for thermal environment, and the overall performance and lifetime of a battery pack is largely determined by the thermal conditions that the batteries are subject to. In addition to the average temperature of a pack, thermal gradients between cells and within individual cells also determine the performance of the pack and how long it will last. Detailed thermal models of batteries are required for heating and cooling system design, which must be calibrated using both electrical and thermal test data.

Currently, advancements in Rapid Prototyping (RP) technologies have led to considerable amount of research activities and has been playing a major role in the area of tooling development for which Rapid Tooling (RT) term was coined. While rapid prototyping techniques are employed to make prototype tools, the basic idea of the rapid tooling is to produce prototype and zero series parts by using prototype tools so the parts truly represent the future production. This paper will present an evaluation of a RP and RT technique in developing tools (punch and dies) for sheet metal forming, which had been manufactured and tested. Both punch and die have been manufactured by combining Stereolithography (SL), RP technique, with nickel electroforming process. The stereolithography technique that had been utilized in developing models for the tools had been built with modeling pattern called Accurate Clear Epoxy Solid (ACES).