Incremental sheet bulk metal forming

Withinthe subproject A4 of the Transregio 73 the main objective is the manufacturing of geometrically complex components from sheet metals with integrated functional elements by forming operations. With the incremental procedure the sheet is processed by means of a flexible arrangement of localized forming operations. Current investigations focus on improving the mechanical property gradation through a hybridization of the components. A new process strategy has been developed where two metal sheets of lower density and strength surround a steel sheet having a higher strength. In the first step, the centered sheet is incrementally edge-thickened (figure a). Afterwards, the resulting bonded sandwich configuration is geared employing incremental sheet-bulk metal forming (see figure b). Besides a deliberately induced distribution of the local strength, a reduction of the component’s weight as well as a reduced tool load can be achieved.