1.    Speaker: Professor Marion Merklein

 

“Sheet-bulk metal forming – forming of functional components from sheet metals”

 

M. Merklein*, T. Schneider, M. Löffler, P. Hildenbrand, D. Gröbel

Institute of Manufacturing Technology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg,

Egerlandstrasse 13, 91058 Erlangen, Germany

*Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

The keynote talk/paper will give an overview on the application of sheet-bulk metal forming operations in both scientific and industrial environment. Beginning with the need for an innovative forming technology, the definition of this new process class is introduced. The rising challenges of the application of bulk metal forming operations on sheet metals are presented and the demand on a holistic investigation of this topic is motivated. With the help of examples from established production processes, the latest state of technology and the lack on fundamental knowledge is shown. Furthermore, perspectives regarding new research topics within sheet-bulk metal forming are presented. These focus on processing strategies to improve the quality of functional components by the application of process-adapted semi-finished products as well as the local adaption of the tribological system.

 

 

2.    Speaker: Professor Paulo A.F. Martins

 

“Innovative Joining Technologies Based on Tube Forming”

 

L.M. Alves, C.M.A. Silva and P.A.F. Martins*

Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa,

Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal

*Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

The keynote presentation/paper will be focused on innovative and environmental friendly joining technologies for connecting tubes and fixing tubes to sheets in situations where the axis of the branch tube or sheet is perpendicular or inclined to the axis of the main body tube. In case of connecting tubes, the presentation will also cover the challenge of joining two tubes by their ends. The proposed joining technologies are based on the utilization of plastic instability waves in thin-walled tubes subjected to axial compression and may be seen as an alternative to conventional joining based on mechanical fixing with fasteners, welding and structural adhesive bonding. Besides allowing connecting dissimilar materials (e.g. metals and polymers) and being successfully employed in fixture conditions that are difficult and costly to achieve by means of conventional joining the new proposed technologies also cope with the growing concerns on the demand, lifecycle and recycling of materials.

 

3.    Speaker: Dr. Martin Skrikerud

 

“Aluminium hot forming in comparison to other Aluminium forming technologies and

the Press Hardening of steel”

 

Martin Skrikerud(1)*, Christian Koroschetz(1), Lars-Olof Jönsson(1) and Peter Karlsson(2)

[1] AP&T Sweden AB, Rönnasgatan 3A, 52321 Ulricehamn, Sweden

[2] AP&T Denmark AS, Norgesvej 1, 8700 Horsens, Denmark

* Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Dr. Martin Skrikerud is CTO of AP&T Sweden AB and his talk will address Aluminium Hot Stamping. The need of weight reduction, not only in passenger cars, due to the tightened CO2 regulations, leads to an increasing trend of using different Aluminium alloys (6xxx, 7xxx) for producing car body components. In order to be able to form complex shaped parts, to decrease spring back and to increase the material properties of the formed part, Aluminium Hot Forming seems to be an adequate solution. Since this process has similarities to Press Hardening of Boron steel, it is interesting to see what has to be adopted in order to be able to integrate this technology into the press shop. Furthermore it is interesting to compare Aluminium Hot Forming with other advanced Aluminium forming technologies, in order to find out which solution is the most suitable one, to be able to produce complex shaped high strength components. Within this keynote paper AP&T shows a sample of how to set up an Aluminium Hot Forming production line cost and energy efficient

 

 

4.    Speaker: Dr. Choy Chee Mun

 

“New Challenges to Cold forming of Automotive Fasteners and Cold Formed Parts”

 

Choy Chee Mun and J.G. Chen

Ritia (Shanghai) Auto Standard Component Co Ltd, Shanghai, China

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Dr Choy Chee Mun obtained his PhD from the University of Strathclyde in1997. Prior to his PhD study, He had four years of working experience in the cold forging industry in Sinapore and Japan. In1997, Dr Choy started his six years of research career as a Senior Research Scientist in the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) conducting research on Near Net Shape Cold & Warm forging and Micro forming for the Singapore industries. In 2004, Dr Choy continued his career in China in the fast growing automotive industry leading R&D and projects on forming and forging of high-strength & hard-to-form materials of automotive fasteners and cold formed components. Dr Choy has helped to develop and localise some critical net shaped parts into China for customers such as VW, GM, Thyseenkrupp Presta, TRW, Autoliv and Johnson Control. He is current working as deputy GM for Ritia (Shanghai) Auto Standard Component Co Ltd leading cold forming tool design & manufacturing and R&D projects.

 

The keynote speech will address new challenges to the cold forming of automotive fasteners and cold formed parts. For the pass decades, automotive fasteners play an important and functional role in fastening critical parts of a vehicle. The fastening of critical parts includes, such as, engine and its components, chassis and suspensions, transmission and power trains, interior decorations with safety electronics devices and etc. With many years of optimization and industrial practices, cold forming using horizontal forming machines with customs built tool is considered as proven and effective manufacturing process. Previously, substantial research has been conducted to investigate the parameters of forming fasteners using sequential cold forming processes. However, in view of decreasing fossil energy and stringent environmental issue, there are changes in the market demands and technological advancement of automotive engineering. These include, such as, new energy driven transmission, light weight with new materials, miniaturization, increasing safety factors, quick to market and shorter product lifespan. These changes demand new research and considerations for the manufacturing of automotive fasteners. In this keynote/paper, the author addresses some of the key parameters of advanced forming process signature, process characterization and tool design optimization in order to enable to high speed manufacturing of net-shape, light weight, high strength, complex geometry, easy-to-make fastening components. The authors will also highlight some of the issues on high-mix low-volume, shortages of skill workforce during process and tool design.

 

5. Speaker: Professor Zhiqiang LI

 

“Superplastic forming and Diffusion Bonding of Novel Structures and its Applications”

Zhiqiang LI

AVIC Beijing Aeronautical Manufacturing Technology Research Institute (AVIC BAMTRI),

Beijing, P.R. China

Email:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

 

Professor Li is Chief Engineer of BAMTRI, AVIC (Beijing Aeronautical Manufacturing Technology Research Institute, Aviation Industry Corporation of China). His keynote lecture will present recent development of superplastic forming (SPF) techniques for the manufacturing of complex-shaped aerospace components with various metals and intermetallic compounds, such as Ti alloy, Al alloy, Al-Li alloy and Ti-Al intermetallic compound. Particular attention will be paid on the superplastic forming/diffusion bonding (SPF/DB) technique, which has been developed for the forming of  lightweight sandwich structures, three-dimensional lattice structures, multilayer shell structures, and honeycomb structures.  The principle and process of controlling thickness distribution during SPF/DB has been investigated numerically and analytically and will be detailed in his paper/talk.

 

 

6. Speaker: Dr. Paul L. Blackwell

 

“From materials characterisation to pre-production validation; the role of the research centre in enabling new approaches to providing processing solutions to industry”

Dr. Paul L. Blackwell

Director of Engineering, Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC),

Glasgow, UK

 

Centres such as the AFRC are targeted at bridging the gap between fundamental University research and the needs of industry. The paper will describe the elements in the process of translating some of the products of basic scientific research into useful outcomes for industrial manufacturing companies within the metal shaping sector. This commences with a sound knowledge of material mechanical and physical properties within the relevant forming or forging window defined by parameters such as temperature, strain rate, strain path, etc. This data will then generally be incorporated into a finite element based process model. More sophisticated models will facilitate the prediction of microstructural development during and after forming, and sometimes incorporate heat treatment effects. This enables the prediction of final properties for the manufactured component. However, such models generally still require validation, and in order for such validation to be reflective of industrial practice then full scale or close to full scale trials may be carried out. The AFRC has a range of industrial scale manufacturing equipment which allows such validation to be performed. The net effect of this is that from a manufacturer’s point of view a new process may be significantly de-risked prior to introduction into a production environment.

The presentation/paper will examine some of the approaches used, with specific reference to some of the specialised testing used to simulate forming processes and how the data may be incorporated into meaningful models of such processes.

 

 

7. Speaker: Professor Zhongqin Lin

“Metal Sheet Forming"

 

Zhongqin Lin

Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

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Professor Zhongqin Lin is Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering and Deputy President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) and Professor in Mechanical Engineering. Before assuming as Deputy President, Professor Lin was Acting Dean of the School of Mechanical Engineering, SJTU. His research interests in recent years include sheet metal forming, manufacturing quality control and process simulation technologies. Professor Lin has been in charge of more than 40 major projects sponsored by Chinese national “973” Program, “863” Program, the National Science Foundation of China as well as Industry projects. Professor Lin has received many honours and awards for his outstanding research achievements. These include 3 National Science and Technology Progress Awards, Award for Ten Elite Scholars of Science and Technology in Shanghai, The First Prize of Shanghai Science and Technology Advancement Awards and the First Prize of Shanghai Science and Technology Invention Awards, the First Prize of Science and Technology Advancement Awards for China’s Machine-building Industry, the First Prize of GM Foundation Science and Technology Achievement Award, Chiang Technology Achievement Award, Prize for Scientific and Technology Innovation of Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation, China National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholar and Cheung Kong Scholar Achievement Award. His talk will address: Lean Forming of Automotive Sheets, Quality Control of Auto Body Manufacturing, Digital Sealing Sample Technology of Sheet Products and Digital Design of Complex Products.

 

 

 

 

Guest Speakers at the Conference Dinner

 

Professor Frank Travis

 

Professor Travis worked for various university departments during his extraordinary career, namely Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Manchester (formerly with UMIST); Design, Manufacture and Engineering Management, The University of Strathclyde; Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University; and School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University. He was also the Head of Department, Mechanical Engineering, University of Sunderland. Working in these departments, he made significant contributions to the development of the departments. In fact, his engagement with research and teaching is far beyond these organisations. For example, he was appointed Honorary Professor of the Silesian University of Technology, Poland, and has close links with universities in Taiwan, South Korea, Ireland, Malaysia, Germany and USA.

 

Professor Travis was a pioneer in research in explosive forming/high-rate forming, the applications of which spanned from extrusion, tubular forming, sheet forming, blanking to welding. His later research activities also covered wide ranges of metalforming processes, from fine-blanking, piercing, hydroforming, hydrostatic extrusion, to forging. His knowledge in high-rate forming, impact and penetration mechanics, general metalforming technology and applications is recognised internationally. His terrific skill in lecturing has attracted a wide range of audiences from scientists and engineers to undergraduates and the general public.

 

The most notable contribution to science and engineering by Professor Frank Travis is the Journal of Materials Processing Technology which he launched in 1975. The journal became one of the most popular journals in the world in the manufacturing field. The impact of the journal is difficult to be defined. However, the widespread uses of the journal by academics, researchers and engineers are comparable to those of any leading engineering journals. The success of the journal was not only due to his diligence and enthusiasm for the dissemination of engineering knowledge when he was the editor of the journal for over 27 years, but also to his professionalism in assessing and editing technical papers.

 

Besides being an international conference ICNFT2015 will also be a special event celebrating Prof. Frank Travis’ 80th birthday.

 

The list of more keynote speakers will follow in this section soon.