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In order to optimise the material utilisation and improve the lightweight design of automotive parts tailored hollow profiles are needed, especially as semi-finished parts for hydroforming. Internal Flow-Turning is an innovative incremental forming technology which enables the manufacture of tubes featuring a varying wall thickness and a constant outer diameter. These characteristics facilitate the material feed at hydroforming processes significantly. In addition, the spinning-related forming technology improves the mechanical material properties, shape and dimensional accuracy, and the surface quality of parts produced.

This paper presents the finite element model developed for the simulation of pipe elbow production by the so-called ‘Hamburg process’ in order to improve productivity and resource efficiency. To optimize the tooling design, a sensitivity analysis of the tool parameters that influence the quality of pipe elbows, such as mandrel height and length, is conducted. Different materials data sets including damage models were considered. Using numerical simulations, it is possible to determine an optimized tool geometry for the production of specific pipe elbow dimensions. Furthermore, as a result of the experiments and numerical simulations conducted, it is possible to increase the production velocity of the serial plant. Along with deformation, damage models are included in simulations in order to identify the right process boundaries. Finally, an experimentally validated model is developed for increasing resource efficiency in pipe elbow fabrication.

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This article will highlight various aspects of the production process of high performance active elements made of ultra high-strength steels. Focus is put on the processing of thick sheet metal regarding hot forming by means of punching, embossing, and forging processes as well as on thermo-mechanical treatment. Due to the material thickness of the semi-finished parts/blanks used and owing to the high strength of the materials (Rm > 2600 MPa) current production techniques and parameters from the field of thin sheet metal can only be limitedly be transferred and have therefore been specially investigated for this application.

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