An apparatus for forming a metal workpiece having a first surface is described herein. The apparatus includes a trough containing a liquid. The apparatus also includes a support for positioning the metal workpiece in an impact-receiving position. In the impact-receiving position, the first surface is submerged in the liquid. The apparatus includes a driven member for applying multiple impacts to the first surface of the metal workpiece while the metal workpiece is in the impact-receiving position.

A method and a system are disclosed for making an article of manufacture from a blank defining an internal opening. A stack of blanks are aligned and the internal openings of the blanks in the stack of blanks are machined by a rotary cutting tool to a finished dimension. The blanks are clamped together before machining in a numerically controlled machine tool. The blanks are subsequently formed individually in a sheet metal forming operation in which the inner perimeter of the internal openings is expanded as the blank is formed.

A method and a system are disclosed for making an article of manufacture from a blank defining an internal opening. A stack of blanks are aligned and the internal openings of the blanks in the stack of blanks are machined by a rotary cutting tool to a finished dimension. The blanks are clamped together before machining in a numerically controlled machine tool. The blanks are subsequently formed individually in a sheet metal forming operation in which the inner perimeter of the internal openings is expanded as the blank is formed.

The invention relates to a method and a device for incremental forming of a metal workpiece, having at least one spindle, on which the workpiece is clamped, and at least one spindle drive, with which the at least one spindle is set in rotation with the workpiece and/or at least one forming roller is set in rotation relative to the workpiece, wherein the at least one forming roller is advanced radially and/or axially relative to the rotating workpiece by way of at least one actuator. According to the invention, a computer-based controller is provided which records multiple machine parameters via sensors, which parameters comprise at least a rotation speed of the spindle, a position of the forming roller and forming forces and/or an advancement speed of the forming roller, and process parameters and/or workpiece parameters are also recorded by the controller, and the controller creates at least one data set in which the machine parameters are assigned to the process and/or workpiece parameters.

A machine tool provided with a tool spindle and a work table for supporting a workpiece for plastic forming on a workpiece with a tool attached to the tool spindle. The partially curved tool is has a moving mechanism to move the tool spindle relative to the workpiece, a spindle rotating motor to turn the tool spindle relative to the workpiece, a movement control unit to control the moving mechanism to move the tool along the workpiece while pressing a curved portion on the surface to be machined, and a turn control unit to control the spindle rotating motor to orient a normal line of the curved portion toward the surface of the workpiece at a reference position taken as a reference.

Systems and methods for forming a workpiece are disclosed. The system may include a fixture assembly for receiving a workpiece having opposing first and second surfaces, first and second tools, and a vibration source configured to vibrate the first and/or second tool. The first and second tools may be configured to move along first and second predetermined paths of motion as the first and/or second tool is vibrated by the vibration source and may exert force on the first and second surfaces to form the workpiece. The method may include vibrating a tool using a vibration source and moving the vibrating tool and another tool along first and second forming paths to form the workpiece. The vibration source may be an ultrasonic transducer and may vibrate the tool at a frequency of at least 1 kHz.

An incremental forming tool of a sheet material has a tool holder having an axis and at least one tool rod mounted in the tool holder. The at least one tool rod may have variable shapes, lengths, diameters and radii such that the rotation of the at least one tool rod about the axis of the tool holder on the sheet material simulates an up and down, in and out, and/or side-to-side vibration motion.

A shaping apparatus for shaping a workpiece includes a controlling module and a pressing module, a moving module, a sensing module and a shaping calculation module that are connected to the controlling module. The pressing module includes two pressing elements respectively applying load to a top/bottom surface of the workpiece. The moving module includes a moving platform moving the workpiece horizontally between a sensing zone and a processing zone. The sensing module performs a capturing process on the workpiece in the sensing zone to obtain a surface information. The shaping calculation module compares the surface information with an ideal shape data to calculate and get a shaping information. The moving platform moves the workpiece to the sensing zone. The sensing module performs a capturing process on the workpiece. The moving platform moves the workpiece to the processing zone. The pressing module performs a shaping treatment on the workpiece.

An apparatus of holding a blank for incremental forming, includes a blank holder to which a blank is configured to be coupled; a motor configured to provide driving power; an interlocking mechanism engaged to the motor and configured to rectilinearly move the blank holder in a direction perpendicular to a forming surface of the blank in conjunction with an operation of the motor; and a controller configured to control the operation of the motor so that the blank rectilinearly moves in accordance with a position of a forming robot configured for forming the blank.

Rather than using a conventional stamping forming process with steels having high ultimate tensile strength and relatively low initial yield, tubular hydroforming techniques are introduced to synergize with BIW part forming, or forming of other load bearing parts. Such steels can have ultimate tensile strengths of greater than 1000 MPa and initial yields of less than 360 MPa In some embodiments, the steels have elongation of at least 40%. Such steels can include retained austenite.