Deep drawing of tailored blanks without a blankholder

Even though there are many more products made from thin sheet metal than from thick sheet metal, especially in the automotive industry, the production of massive parts from thick sheet metal is frequently more cost-efficient than that for products made using casting, cutting, and mass forming technologies. The question arises as to whether tailored blanks are better for use with thick sheet metal components, such as various parts of gearboxes, clutches, metal balls, or certain other parts. This paper describes experiments involving the deep drawing of tailored blanks without a blankholder. Four materials with very different forming properties were tested. A rough comparison is given between the production of MIG-welded blanks and laser-welded blanks. The properties of cups produced in this manner are described, and an FEM analysis of this procedure is presented. [Materials include 20MnCr5 and Ck15.]