FOCUS ON GERMANY
FORMING ON THE FAST TRACK
Image: @ Fraunhofer IWU I Rico Demuth.
“ Both newly developed processes are designed to simplify, accelerate and reduce the cost of existing forming operations.”
Tool for passive, high-pressure sheet metal forming.
Fraunhofer IWU has succeeded in significantly reducing production times in highpressure sheet metal forming( HPSF) through intelligent process integration( achieving up to 60 cycles per minute). It has also combined hydraulic forming and flow pressing, making it easier to manufacture hybrid metal-plastic composite components.
Hydraulic forming is a technology that uses high fluid pressure to shape sheet metal or tubes into the desired geometry. Instead of a second rigid tool, a fluid acts as the force-transmitting medium.
Researchers at Fraunhofer IWU in Chemnitz( Germany) have now succeeded in significantly reducing production times in high-pressure sheet metal forming( HPSF) through intelligent process integration. Rather than a maximum of eight strokes per minute, the process now achieves up to 60 cycles per minute.
The Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU is an innovationdriven partner for research and development in production engineering. Around 670 employees work at its sites in Chemnitz, Cottbus, Dresden, Leipzig, Wolfsburg and Zittau. It unlocks potential for competitive manufacturing, across industries such as automotive, aerospace, electrical engineering and precision engineering. Its research and contract research encompass the entire manufacturing ecosystem from individual components to processes, methods, complex machine systems and human interaction.
Chemnitz, a mechanical engineering site that is rich in tradition, is the headquarters of Fraunhofer IWU. Situated next to the Technical University, it combines various experimental fields.
“ Our research and development focus is on machine tools and production systems, forming technology, assembly, machining and microtechnology as well as production management. In our Future Factory, we are
60 | ismr. net | ISMR September 2026