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ICAFT/SFU/AutoMetForm
ICAFT/SFU/AutoMetForm 2018
2018

Media
Media Based
Based Forming
Forming and and Injection
Injection Molding
Molding BasedBased on
on Fiber
Fiber
Reinforced
Manufacturing Engineering Society
Reinforced Plastic
International Tubes
Conference
Plastic Tubes 2017, MESIC 2017, 28-30 June
2017, Vigo (Pontevedra), Spain
a* a a a b
A.
A. Albert
Alberta*,, M.
M. Werner
Wernera,, D.
D. Landgrebe
Landgrebe a, W.-G. Drossela, M. Layerb,
, W.-G.b Drossel , M. Layer ,
Costing models for capacity U. optimization
U. Engelmann
Engelmann
b
b, L. Krollinb Industry 4.0: Trade-off
, L. Kroll
b
a
between used capacity and operational efficiency
aFraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU, Reichenhainer Str. 88, 09126 Chemnitz, Germany
Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU, Reichenhainer Str. 88, 09126 Chemnitz, Germany
b Department of Lightweight Structures and Polymer Technology, Technische Universität Chemnitz, 09107 Chemnitz, Germany
Department of Lightweight Structures and Polymer Technology, Technische Universität Chemnitz, 09107 Chemnitz, Germany
A. Santanaa, P. Afonsoa,*, A. Zaninb, R. Wernkeb
Abstract
a
University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
Abstract b
Unochapecó, 89809-000 Chapecó, SC, Brazil
Research and development for industrial applications forces Fraunhofer IWU to explore new fields of technology. The combina-
Research and development for industrial applications forces Fraunhofer IWU to explore new fields of technology. The combina-
tion of Media Based Forming and Injection Molding (MBF-IM) in a single process is such a new development to meet the re-
tion of Media Based Forming and Injection Molding (MBF-IM) in a single process is such a new development to meet the re-
quirements on lightweight design and resource efficiency. Based on over 20 years of Fraunhofer IWU experience in hydroform-
Abstract
quirements on lightweight design and resource efficiency. Based on over 20 years of Fraunhofer IWU experience in hydroform-
ing, this technology development started with the usage of metal tubes and PA6 with glass fiber to produce metal-plastic-hybrid-
ing, this technology development started with the usage of metal tubes and PA6 with glass fiber to produce metal-plastic-hybrid-
components the structural strength of the component is realized by the formed metal tube while the molded attachment allows for
Under the the
components concept of strength
structural "Industry 4.0",
of the production
component processes
is realized by the will
formedbemetal
pushed
tube to be the
while increasingly interconnected,
molded attachment allows for
easy functionalization. Cockpit cross beams (CQB) are known state of the art components produced this way. In a first develop-
information based onCockpit
easy functionalization. a real time
cross basis
beamsand, necessarily,
(CQB) are knownmuchstate ofmore efficient.
the art componentsIn this context,
produced thiscapacity
way. In aoptimization
first develop-
ment step the conventional hydroforming process was replaced by media based forming (MBF) using nitrogen as a pressure
goes
ment beyond
medium. Withthe thistraditional
process theaim
step the conventional
toolofcan
capacity
hydroforming
always maximization,
process was replacedcontributing
by media based
be kept dry for the injection moldingalso forming
for(IM)
organization’s
(MBF) using profitability
process without
nitrogen asand
any additionalvalue.
a pressure
effort,
medium. lean
Indeed, With this process the and
management tool can always be improvement
continuous kept dry for the approaches
injection molding (IM)capacity
suggest process without any additional
optimization effort,
instead of
and no subsequent part cleaning is necessary. Together with TU Chemnitz and industrial partners further developments are con-
and no subsequent
maximization. Thepart cleaning
study of is necessary.
capacity Together with
optimization and TU Chemnitz
costing and is
models industrial
an partnersresearch
important further developments
topic that are con-
deserves
tinuously carried out and still under research. The focus of this strategic cooperation is the development and the usage of plastic
tinuously carried
contributions out both
from and still
the under research.
practical The focus ofperspectives.
and theoretical this strategic cooperation
This paper ispresents
the development and thea usage of plastic
tubes for the structural function of the component. The paper shows the development path fromand discusses
the state of the artmathematical
for the MBF-
tubes for the structural function of the component. The paper shows the development path from the state of the art for the MBF-
model
IM fromfor capacity management
metal-plastic based toonthe
hybrid components different costing
replacement models
of the liquid (ABC and TDABC).
active medium A generic
for the MBF model
by gaseous has been
nitrogen, the
IM from metal-plastic hybrid components to the replacement of the liquid active medium for the MBF by gaseous nitrogen, the
developed andfiber-reinforced
use of endless it was used toplastic
analyze idleascapacity
tubes and toproducts
semi-finished design to strategies
the MBF-IMtowards the maximization of
of short-fiber-reinforced organization’s
plastic tubes.
use of endless fiber-reinforced plastic tubes as semi-finished products to the MBF-IM of short-fiber-reinforced plastic tubes.
value. The trade-off capacity maximization vs operational efficiency is highlighted and it is shown that capacity
© 2018
2019 The B.V.
© 2018 The Authors.
optimization
Authors. Published
might hide by
by Elsevier
operational
Published B.V.
inefficiency.
Elsevier B.V.
This
© is an
2017 Theopen access article under
Authors. the CC BY-NC-ND
BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
This is an open accessPublished by Elsevier
article under B.V.
the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Selection
Peer-reviewand peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of ICAFT/SFU/AutoMetForm 2018.
Selection andunder responsibility
peer-review under of the scientificofcommittee
responsibility of the
the scientific Manufacturing
committee Engineering Society International
of ICAFT/SFU/AutoMetForm 2018. Conference
2017.
Keywords: Hydroforming; Injection molding; Fiber reinforced plastics; manufacturing process
Keywords: Hydroforming; Injection molding; Fiber reinforced plastics; manufacturing process
Keywords: Cost Models; ABC; TDABC; Capacity Management; Idle Capacity; Operational Efficiency

1. Introduction

The cost of idle capacity is a fundamental information for companies and their management of extreme importance
in*modern production
Corresponding systems.
author. Tel.: In5397
+49 371 general,
1127;itfax:
is defined as unused
+49 371 5397 61127 capacity or production potential and can be measured
in* several
Corresponding author. Tel.: +49 371 5397 1127; fax: +49 371 5397 61127
ways:andre.albert@iwu.fraunhofer.de
E-mail address: tons of production, available hours of manufacturing, etc. The management of the idle capacity
E-mail address: andre.albert@iwu.fraunhofer.de
* Paulo Afonso. Tel.: +351 253 510 761; fax: +351 253 604 741
E-mail address:
2351-9789 psafonso@dps.uminho.pt
© 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
2351-9789 © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Selection and
2351-9789 peer-review
© 2017 under Published
The Authors. responsibility of the scientific
by Elsevier B.V. committee of ICAFT/SFU/AutoMetForm 2018.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of ICAFT/SFU/AutoMetForm 2018.
Peer-review
2351-9789 © under
2019responsibility
The Authors. of the scientificbycommittee
Published Elsevier of
B.V.the Manufacturing Engineering Society International Conference 2017.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of ICAFT/SFU/AutoMetForm 2018.
10.1016/j.promfg.2018.12.060
 A. Albert et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 27 (2019) 166–171 167
2 Author name / Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2018) 000–000

1. Introduction

Both the automotive and aerospace industries are currently significant drivers for research into lightweight con-
struction solutions, which on the one hand guarantee the necessary stability and on the other hand can be produced at
low cost. Aluminum or magnesium alloys are essential materials used here and have a correspondingly high propor-
tion in lightweight structures. Recently, however, efforts have also been made to reduce the metal content in compo-
nents in a targeted manner and to compensate metal structures with plastic elements. The resulting metal-plastic
composite structures are characterized by a further reduction in weight and this approach also allows for the imple-
mentation of more complex structures and the integration of additional functions [1]. Production technology is of
enormous importance for the cost-effectiveness of such complex hybrid components [2].
The process combination MBF-IM has been established in the
industry for the production of metal-plastic hybrid components,
such as CQB and frontend carriers, based on metal tubes. In this
process the tubes are first formed in a tool by hydroforming and
then a plastic component is applied to the tube by injection
molding. One of the cost drivers is the realization of the bonding
between metal and plastic, for which a pretreatment of the tube
surface is necessary according to the state of the art. Further-
more, the recycling of metal-plastic composite structures is diffi-
cult because the materials have to be separated again. For this
reason, Fraunhofer IWU, TU Chemnitz and industrial partners
have further developed the process and qualified it for the use of Fig. 1. Cockpit cross beam and front end carrier made by a
short- and endless-fiber-reinforced plastic tubes. combination of media based forming and injection molding [3]

2. State of the art

The production of components by MBF-IM is currently carried out in the industry on IM machines which are
adapted for hydroforming. Fig. 2 shows the process flow. The most challenging issue and cost driver is the bonding

Fig. 2. Hydroform-hybrid technology by ElringKlinger [5]

between metal and plastic [4]. In particular, the use of a liquid active medium makes the tool and process design
more difficult, as it must be ensured at all times that the tool is dry for the IM process. Fraunhofer IWU has been
working with nitrogen as an active medium for MBF since 2006. Up to now, this has mainly been used for hot form-
ing, since the water based working media usually applied for hydroforming is not suitable for elevated temperatures.
To ensure a dry process, MBF-IM has been successfully developed further at the Fraunhofer IWU for the use of
gaseous active media. The following figure shows a CQB for the show car “KULAN” realized at Fraunhofer IWU
by means of a gas formed aluminum tube and an injection molded plastic component. No extra procedures were
168 A. Albert et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 27 (2019) 166–171
Author name / Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2018) 000–000 3

for the bonding. The component geometry

was designed in such a way that the bond
adhesion was achieved exclusively by
form and force closure connection. In the
manufacturing of similar components on
the basis of hollow plastic profiles, the
hollow profile is first produced by blow
molding. The injection molding of the
plastic contour is carried out in a separate
process [7]. Fig. 3. Left: part design Kulan CQB; right: production steps for Kulan CQB [6]

3. Media based forming with injection molding based on endless fiber reinforced plastic tubes

First experiments within the Federal Cluster of Excel-

lence MERGE showed that the use of gas as a working
medium challenges the heated FRP tube in terms of
impermeability. Tension strain transversal to the fibers
leads to micro leakage even at low internal pressures,
which is caused by the low mechanical properties of the
polymer near melting temperature. Due to the loss of
pressure, the hot melt was able to dent the FRP tube
(Fig. 4 above). After cooling down, some of the func-
tional parts spalled off the tube due to poor bonding
behavior. This effect is primary caused by the leakage of
the pressure medium into the mold, which leads to cool-
ing of the part surface. Not all parts of the tube were
affected in the same way. In this early stage of the de-
velopment the preheating of the tube was not as uniform
as desired. Additionally, the molding tool consists of
several cavities that reach different pressure maxima of
the melt at different points in time. Hence, it was not
possible to balance the injection molding between com- Fig. 4. Top: FRP tube not pressure-tight, the hot melt dents the
softened FRP tube (left) and after cooling down, functional parts spall
plete filling and low maximum pressure at the tube sur- off the tube (right); bottom: FRP tube processed with liner hose
face to avoid a forming of the tube due to the melt. Thus, shows no denting (left) and proper bonding between tube and injection
pure continuous FRP tubes are not equipped with the molded parts (right)
optimal preconditions for MBF-IM.
Tubes with an inside elastomeric liner hose for sealing showed no denting and proper bonding between tube and
injection molded parts (Fig. 4 down). However, threading a liner hose into every tube is acceptable at the experi-
mental stage, but for the production level, a faster method had to be found for sealing the FRP tube. A thermoplastic
liner, onto which the unidirectional tapes are deposited for manufacturing the FRP tubes, can seal the tubes against
internal pressure. After processing the tubes, it can remain in the final part to contribute to the load bearing structure.
To improve handling of the heated tubes, the thermoplastic liner was extruded from short glass fiber reinforced
polyamide 6.6 (Durethan AKV 325 H2.0). It has a higher melting temperature than the polyamide 6 matrix of the
tapes. Hence, the tube can be tempered for further processing to a uniform temperature above the melting tempera-
ture of the tapes, while maintaining sufficient stability for the necessary handling processes. Within the project
“MERGE” for the first time FRP tubes were processed with MBF-IM in a manner suitable for large-batch produc-
tion by using this multi-layer configuration.
Figure 5 shows the forces that act on the FRP tubes during the MBF-IM process. The gas pressure is used to form
the FRP tube to compensate the tolerance between the outer diameter of the tube and the injection mold cavity. The
sealing is carried out by sealing punches. Fig. 6 shows the distribution of the main process variables: injection pres-
 A. Albert et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 27 (2019) 166–171 169
4 Author name / Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2018) 000–000

sure and gas pressure during MBF-IM. First, the heated tube is inserted into the open mold cavity and the mold is
closed. The sealing punches seal the pipe ends. The gaseous pressure medium is passed through the sealing punches
into the tube and generates the pressure to calibrate the FRP tube. Finally, the IM process takes place. The cavity is
first filled volumetrically (injection phase), which is characterized by an increase in the injection pressure. The fol-
lowing holding pressure phase compresses the plastic melt during cooling and compensates for shrinkage. The sub-
sequent cooling phase is required to make sure that the component is solid for demold after opening the mold. Dur-
ing the filling and packing phase, the gas pressure inside the tube is maintained to prevent its deformation due to the
effective melt pressure. Although the pressure of the plastic melt measured on the injection molding machine is
higher, a considerable pressure loss occurs over the flow path from the machine nozzle to the contact point to the
FRP tube due to the viscoelastic behavior of the melt.

Fig. 5. Main forces acting on FRP tube within the MBF-IM process Fig. 6. Process parameters for MBF-IM using FRP tube
with thermoplastic liner

4. Media based forming with injection molding based on short fiber reinforced plastic tubes

Endless fiber reinforced plastic tubes offer a high potential in terms of component strength. However, their form-
ing capacity is extremely low and the cost for the semi-finished products is very high. Therefore, economical and
easily formable extruded tubes with short fiber reinforcement should be used to develop further possibilities for the
production of complex, economical and easily recyclable components made of fiber reinforced plastic by MBF-IM.
In addition to the development of tubes compatible with media based forming, which is described in [6], the spe-
cial challenge lies in process control. Short fiber reinforced thermoplastic tubes have very low strengths just below
the melting temperature of the matrix material, especially when processed in MBF-IM. As a result, the possible
support pressure for the injection molding process is comparatively low in order to prevent the tube from bursting in
the area of the injection molding cavity already in the media based forming step. The CQT "Kulan", which was
presented in the section on the state of the art in Figure 3 based on MBF-IM with aluminium tubes, served as the
basis for the further process development for using short-fiber reinforced plastic tubes due to its geometry, which is
typical for MBF-IM components. Fig. 7 shows the process parameters for the MBF-IM process of the CQT "Kulan"
with aluminum tubes. These are important starting parameters for the development of short-fiber reinforced tubes
and for process control during their processing.
After closing the press and sealing the tube ends, first the media based forming process is carried out. After the
tube has been completely formed, the injection molding process takes place. It is divided into injection phase, hold-
ing pressure phase and cooling phase. The switchover point from the filling phase to the holding pressure phase is
critical for the process design when using short fiber-reinforced plastic tubes. At that moment, the pressure in the
melt rises very quickly. Using a measuring dummy with integrated pressure sensor allowed for measuring of the
pressure acting on the tube during the IM process. In the production of the CQT "Kulan" with aluminum tubes, this
point occurred at approx. 16 MPa. Therefore the aim was to achieve a maximum internal pressure above 16 MPa
already in the MBF process when used with plastic tubes in order to prevent the tube from bursting. In the first tests
with tubes made of PA6.6/GF25 (Ø 38 mm, wall thickness 2 mm) this pressure could not be reached. The compo-
170 A. Albert et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 27 (2019) 166–171
Author name / Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2018) 000–000 5

nents were completely formed at 10 MPa gas pressure and cracked at 13 MPa. These components were still intact
after the filling phase and collapsed during the pressure build-up at the beginning of the holding pressure phase [6].

Fig. 7. Process parameters for MBF-IM of the CQB “Kulan” based on the usage of an aluminum tube

Based on these results, the tube wall thickness was increased from 2 to 4 mm and the transitions between the injec-
tion molded component and the formed tube in the mold were rounded. As a result, the bursting pressure in the MBF
process has risen to approx. 16 MPa. Thus a safe MPF process can be realized with an internal pressure of 14 MPa.
In order to further reduce the stress on the tube during the injection molding process, the cross-section of the gate
between the component and the sprue area was increased first. The tool modified in this way was used to carry out
additional tests with the measuring dummy, where in particular the holding pressure curve in the process was
adapted so that the maximum load on the component for the use of the short-fiber reinforced tubes was reduced and
the pressure holding time was increased to reduce shrinkage.

Fig. 8. Stress on the tube during MBF-IM due to the melt

The results are shown in Fig 8. By selectively controlling the holding pressure, it was possible to reduce the melt
pressure acting on the tube in process V11 to a maximum of 10 MPa and to hold it above 8 MPa for a time of ap-
prox. 8 sec in order to counteract shrinkage of the plastic and thus achieve good bond strength. Good parts of the
CQT were realized with these parameters. In order to also reliably produce components with smaller wall thickness-
es, the process control must be adapted in perspective. During the injection molding process, the MBF pressure and
the injection pressure must be controlled so that, on the one hand, the MBF pressure is always higher than the injec-
tion pressure acting on the component and, on the other hand, the pressure difference is small enough so that the
hydroformed component does not crack.
 A. Albert et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 27 (2019) 166–171 171
6 Author name / Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2018) 000–000

5. Conclusion and outlook

The consortium led by Fraunhofer IWU and TU Chemnitz has succeeded in

adapting MBF-IM for the use of various semi-finished products. For this purpose
the process was initially adapted for nitrogen as the active medium, so that a dry
process can be guaranteed at all times. The next step was the further development
for FRP tubes. On the one hand, process-compatible short- and continuous-fiber
reinforced tubes were developed and on the other hand, the tool technology and
the MBF-IM process were adapted. Using a measuring dummy, the pressure on
the tube was measured during the injection molding process and the melt pressure
curve in the holding pressure phase was adjusted in such a way that the hot
formed tube did not collapse due to the melt pressure. Fig. 9 shows the realized
components.
It is also conceivable to use short fiber reinforced tubes, which are reinforced
with endless fiber reinforced patches at points subject to particularly high stress.
This could combine the advantages of short fiber reinforced tubes in terms of cost
and formability with the higher strength of continuous fiber reinforced compo-
nents. The process should also be further developed to automatically control the
Fig. 9. MBF-IM parts: based on
injection molding process based on the selected internal gas pressure and the melt aluminium tubes and PA6/GF30
pressure measured near the tube by means of a tool-integrated sensor to shorten (top); based on endless fiber
the process running-in times. reinforced plastic tube (middle) [8];
based on short fiber reinforced plastic
tube and semi-finished part (bottom)

Acknowledgements

This paper was created in the context of the Federal Cluster of Excellence EXC 1075 “Merge Technologies for
Multifunctional Lightweight Structures“ funded by the German Research Foundation DFG and the “POLY-
LAB.NET – FVK-IHU“ project funded within the scope of the Central Innovation Program for SMEs (German
abbrev. ZIM). The authors are grateful for their financial support and cooperation with the industrial partners
Schicktanz GmbH, MBE Maschinenbau GmbH and DEW Döbeln Elektrowärme GmbH and Daimler AG.

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