Metal forming on the fast track

In the September 2026 issue of ISMR, we detail how Fraunhofer IWU has succeeded in significantly reducing production times in high-pressure 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.

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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 innovation-driven 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, its headquarters 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 taking energy and resource efficiency to a new level, for climate-neutral production of the future. Our Hydrogen Taskforce is enabling essential hydrogen components for efficient large-scale production,” Fraunhofer IWU explained.

New enhanced process

“Cycle times in sheet hydroforming are typically longer than in conventional sheet metal forming processes, such as deep drawing. Even when processing continuous strip material from coil stock, production rates of only six to eight strokes per minute are generally achievable. This is primarily because the process steps of ‘opening and closing the press’, ‘building up the clamping force’ and ‘forming’ are performed sequentially,” said Fraunhofer IWU.

However, Fraunhofer IWU has completely redesigned both the process sequence and the tool structure using its passive high-pressure sheet metal forming technology, enabling these steps to occur simultaneously. In passive HPSF, the forming pressure is generated directly within the tool through a hydraulic cylinder. As the press closes, the clamping force automatically generates the required fluid pressure. Standard presses can be used, eliminating the need for a separate high-pressure water-hydraulic system. Combined with coil-fed production, the technology enables the manufacture of bipolar plates at rates of up to 60 cycles per minute for the first time.

To read the rest of this article in the September 2026 issue of ISMR, see  https://joom.ag/Ozfd/p60