Water as lubricant for high-speed forming by means of LIPSS

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Frank Vollertsen
• Subject Area: Primary Shaping and Reshaping Technology, Additive Manufacturing
• Term: from 2019 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 416530419

In order to protect the products and tools from wear during forming processes, mineral and synthetic lubricants are used. Forming lubricants minimize friction as well as wear and remove abrasion and heat from the forming zone. Thus, the application of lubricants is useful, however after the forming process, the conventional forming lubricants need to be removed from the formed part to provide a clean surface for subsequent manufacturing and coating operations. Therefore, the goal of this research is to prove the suitability of water as a replacement for conventional forming lubricants. Due to the low viscosity of water, it cannot be used under conventional conditions. The tool surface must be structured in such a way that it is hydrophobic to be able to retain water in the high load forming region. Moreover, a proper forming speed must be identified whereby the friction can be minimized during the forming process with water. These methods are examined separately and then applied on a deep drawing process. After the forming process, the tools are analyzed by the means of wear and compared to conventional processes to demonstrate the potential of the forming process with water.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants