Introduction to tailored forming

In recent years, the requirements for technical components have been increasing steadily. This development is intensified by the desire for products with lower weight, smaller size and extended functionality, but at the same time higher resistance against specific loads. Mono-material components manufactured according to established processes reach their limits regarding conflicting requirements. It is, for example, hardly possible to combine excellent mechanical properties with lightweight construction using mono-materials. Thus, a significant increase in production quality, lightweight design, functionality and efficiency can only be reached by combining different materials in one component. The superior aim of the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1153 is to develop novel process chains for the production of hybrid solid components. In contrast to existing process chains in bulk metal forming, in which the joining process takes place during forming or at the end of the process chain, the CRC 1153 uses tailored semi-finished workpieces which are joined before the forming process. This results in a geometric and thermomechanical influence on the joining zone during the forming process which cannot be created by conventional joining techniques. The present work gives an overview of the CRC and the Tailored Forming approach including the applied joining, forming and finishing processes as well as a short summary of the accompanying design and evaluation methods.