Thermal forming

Thermal forming is a manufacturing technique that utilizes thermal strains induced by local temperature fields to alter the shape of a component. It can be used for bending and forming of more complex structures from sheet, profile, tube or other material, for compensation of distortion e. g. after welding, and for adjustment of e. g. micro-devices. The range of applications spans from shipbuilding to microelectronics. Despite the long tradition of flame straightening in shipbuilding, thermal forming has always been a niche technology with only a small number of industrial applications, which is mainly due to the complexity of the forming process. Today, however, progressive research has led to a level of understanding that enables the application of thermal forming techniques in a variety of manufacturing environments and makes it suitable for flexible mass production. Thermal strain experts from all parts of the world have gathered in Bremen for the first international workshop on thermal forming, to present the state of the art and future research trends regarding the understanding of forming mechanisms using various heat sources, the prediction of thermal strains and resulting geometry, and optimization of the processing strategy, and to discuss the potentials and open questions with regard to industrial application. The workshop is intended to promote the exchange of experience at international level and enhance the dialogue between science and industry. It gives an overview of the latest research in the field of thermal forming, covering experimental research in both the macro and micro range, modelling of the process from the heat source to complex 3D structures and advanced simulation techniques enabling faster and more precise predictions. IWOTE’05 is the first workshop of NOTE, the network of thermal strain experts, which has recently been initiated to bring together people involved in this field of research to share their experience and ideas. The workshop is sponsored by CIRP and DVS and hosted by BIAS. We would like to thank the members of the international advisory committee and the sponsoring organizations for their support of the workshop, and the presenters and co-authors for contributing more than 20 papers to the program, which are collected in this volume. Last but not least we would like to thank everybody who worked hard to make this workshop a success, particularly Ms. Heike Weers for her tremendous effort during the organization of the workshop and the preparation of the proceedings.