Sheet metal forming at elevated temperatures

Due to the need to significantly reduce the part weights in automotive manufacturing, the use of lightweight materials becomes ever more important. Unfortunately, these materials are often associated with a limited cold formability. Due to this fact, production of large, complex sheet metal components using forming technology frequently entails increased expenditures. Moreover, processing high-strength materials requires correspondingly high processing forces and pressures. In order to find a solution to counter the disadvantages mentioned above, the use of elevated temperatures as a process parameter in forming operations represents a potential solution approach. The following paper will give an overview about research activities in the field of forming operations at elevated temperatures.