Developments in Automation, Flexibilization and Control of Forming Machinery

Summary The development of forming machinery can be represented in five steps. All of these steps reflect the respective economic requirements and their technical implementation. In the area of mass production, automation was in the foreground for achieving increased productivity. It was type-related and thus inflexible. In recent years, changing market conditions have strengthened the trend for flexibilization of the machinery, at first with the objective of improving both steps flexibility and production run flexibility. The focal point of development was on machines for application in non-tool-related forming processes. More recent developments are aimed at improving also the process flexibility of tool-related forming techniques. Under the aspects of process and quality assurance, machines are being developed which allow control and regulation of the forming process. Some examples are given to describe the state of developement.