Advancements in

Sheet Metal Forming

Hydroforming and Laser Forming
Presented to: Dr. Alaa El Mokadem
Eng. Mahmoud Samir

Presented By:
Mohammed

Yasser
Mahmoud Zaghlool
Soheil Hussein
Ghada Emad
Hossam Ashraf
Ahmed Faiz
Omar Ali

Agenda
Introduction

to Metal Forming
Hydroforming
Introduction
Principles
Sheet

Metal Forming

Advantages

and Disadvantages

Applications

Laser

Forming

Introduction
Advantages
Laser

and Disadvantages

Forming Mechanisms

Comparison
Applications

Conclusion

of Mechanisms

Introduction to Metal
Forming

Characteristics of Metal Forming

Changes

form of workpiece.
No removal or addition of material.
Elastic limit of material is exceeded (permanent
deformation).
High Forces
Mass Production

Metal Forming Categorized by

Force
Different

types of forces

Tensile
Compressive
Combined
Bending
Shearing

(Tensile and Compressive)

Metal Forming Categorized by Process

Primary

Forming
Processes
Rolling
Forging
Extrusion
Tube

and Wire Drawing

Deep Drawing

Advanced Forming
Techniques
Hydroforming

Introduction to Hydroforming
New

Technique
Die Forming process
Use of Hydraulic Fluid
Operates at room
temperature
Mainly used in automobile
industry

Principles of Hydroforming
Tooling

and Dies
Hydraulic Press
Fluid Pressure Intensification System

Types of Hydroforming
Tubular

Hydroforming
Sheet Metal Hydroforming

Hydroforming
Sheet Metal Hydroforming

Characteristics of Sheet Metal Forming

Controlled

Metal Flow

Low

stress concentrations
No buckling or wrinkling
Slow

Process

Suited

for highly specialized parts

Sheet Metal Hydroforming

Sheet

steel is forced into a

female cavity by water under
pressure from a pump or by
press action.
Sheet steel is deformed by a
male punch, which acts against
the fluid under pressure.

Advantages of Hydroforming
Draws

material into mould.

Part consolidation (many parts formed in one step as
one part).
Weight reduction through more efficient section
design and tailoring of the wall thickness.
Improved structural strength and stiffness.
Reduced scrap.
Reduced Cost.

Disadvantages of Sheet Metal

Hydroforming
Slow

cycle time.
Expensive equipment.
Lack of extensive knowledge base for process and
tool design.
Requires new welding techniques for assembly of
parts.

Example Products

Applications of Hydroforming
Aerospace

Industry
Automobile Industry

Applications of Hydroforming
Body

shell
Driving shaft
Assembled camshaft
Exhaust systems
Engine cooling system
Radiator frame
Safety requirements
Engine bearer
Integral member
Cross member
Frame structure parts
Axle elements

Advanced Forming
Techniques
Laser Forming

Introduction to Laser Forming

Highly

Flexible
Rapid Prototyping
Low Volume Manufacturing Process
Induced Thermal Distortion by Laser Beam
No Hard Tooling
No External Forces

Principles of Laser Forming

A

laser source with beam delivery

system.
Motion table to mount the
workpiece or a robot for holding
the laser system.
Cooling system where necessary.
Temperature monitoring system.
Shape

monitoring system.
Computer control system.

Principles of Laser Forming

Bend

Angle: 2 up to 10 per stage

Total Bend Angle: 90
Forming of Complex Shapes
Radius of Formed Part
Directly

proportional to beam power

Inversely proportional to sheet thickness
Proportional to amount of offset
Inversely proportional to scanning rate

Bend Angle vs. Sheet Thickness

Process Parameters
Beam

Power
Defocused Beam
Diameter
Scanning Velocity
Sheet Thickness

Parameter
Power
Defocused
Beam Diameter
Scanning
Velocity
Sheet
Thickness

Valu
e
1

Uni
t
kW

2-6

mm

20600
Up to
10

mm
/s
mm

Laser Forming Mechanisms

The

Temperature Gradient Mechanism (TGM).

The Upsetting Mechanism.
The Buckling Mechanism.

Temp. Gradient Mechanism

Fig.

(a): Temp. variation in thickness direction

Fig. (b): Strain variation in thickness direction
Fig. (c): Bend angle

Temp. Gradient Mechanism

Rapid

heating of the surface

Low heat conduction
Generates

very high temp. gradient in the thickness

direction.
Bending
Bend

Plastic

angle 0.05

strain formed

Lower

During

occurs towards the cold surface of the sheet

yield strength at high temperatures

cooling, hot surfaces contract more than cold

surfaces.

Temp. Gradient Mechanism

Buckling Mechanism
Thin

sheets only
Low temp. gradients: uniform heating through
thickness
Heated region tends to expand, restricted by
surrounding cold material
Compressive

stresses formed leading to buckling

Buckling Mechanism
Sheet

is bent along centerline of beam scanning line

Bending direction is unpredictable
Towards

the beam source if scanning rate is high (15mm)

Pre-bending
Residual Stresses
External Forces

Upsetting Mechanism
Uniform

heating of localized

zones
Similar parameters as
buckling mechanism
Diameter

of beam is different
from buckling mechanism

Near

homogeneous heat
distribution
Near

uniform compressive
strain through thickness

Upsetting Mechanism
Bending

occurs while cooling

Products can be similar to
parts produced by deep
drawing

Comparison of the Mechanisms

Parameter

TGM

Temperature
Field

Steep Temp.
Gradient

Sheet Thickness
Forming
Direction

Increases towards
laser beam;
determined by
process

Applications

Bending sheets
along straight
lines

Buckling
Mechanism
Nearly
Homogeneous
with Larger
Diameter in X-Y
Plane
May remain
constant,
determined by
pre-curvature and
residual stresses
Bending sheets
along straight
lines, tube
forming

Upsetting
Mechanism
Nearly
Homogeneous
with Smaller
Diameter in X-Y
Plane
Increases, mostly
towards laser
beam, depends
on original part
geometry
Spatial sheet
metal forming,
profile forming

Advantages of Laser Forming

No

external forces

No

contact between the tool and the workpiece.

No

tool inaccuracies due to wear and deflection.

Flexible Process.
Control of Power Source Accurate Control of
Forming Process

Accurate
Ability

to form parts in confined or inaccessible locations by

remote application.

Minimal

heat-affected zone size or material degradation

compared to flame bending.

Advantages of Laser Forming

Ability

to form hard and brittle materials

More applications
Slow rate of production Time for maintenance

Disadvantages of Laser Forming

Very

Slow Process
High Capital Cost
Low efficiency of laser absorption
High

energy consumption

Special

safety precautions

Applications of Laser Forming

Part

Straightening
Production of Small Parts
Automobile Industry
Ship Planks
Aerospace Fuselage Parts

Conclusion
Hydroforming

and Laser Forming are one of the new

technological advancements in sheet metal forming
industry.
Hydroforming and Laser Forming are used where
accuracy is highly required.
Laser Forming is used in the production of small parts
or where the workpiece is inaccessible.

Thank You For

Listening!