Experimental and Numerical Investigations into Micro-Hydroforming Processes and Machine Design

Today, microsystems technology is increasingly used by a multitude of industries to develop new and improved products. Examples are to be found in the areas of medical engineering, telecommunication technology and micro-mechatronics systems for automotive industry. In case that these products require the mass production of micro-components made from metal materials, micro-forming processes can offer considerable advantages in comparison to currently used techniques, based on the removal of materials, either by chemical or mechanical means. Against this background, the novel process of micro-hydroforming was developed with the objective to provide a technology for the economic mass production of complex shaped hollow components. Hydroforming is a metal forming technology based on the application of pressurized liquid media to generate defined workpiece shapes from tubular materials. Experimental and theoretical investigations were carried out to develop first fundamentals for micro-hydroforming processes and suitable design of tools and machines. Based on these results, a prototype micro-hydroforming machine capable of series production was developed, and experimental tests were conducted producing micro-hydroforming demonstrators. The paper presents results of latest research concerning the configuration of tools and machines for micro-hydroforming, and the optimisation of devices with the aid of the finite element method to improve the produced component accuracy.