Development of Aluminium Sheet Compliant Clamping and Sealing Technologies to Unlock Ultra-High-Speed Blow Forming

该项目旨在提高高速吹塑成形(HSBF)的产量，HSBF是Verbom开发的一种允许铝板高速超塑成形的工艺。这一过程实现了每个零件几分钟的生产时间，但长期目标是达到每小时120个零件的生产率。为了实现这一点，必须开发关于将板材加热到超塑性温度(~500℃)和在模腔中密封板材的新策略，因为这些已被确定为提高加工速度的主要限制。 该研究项目的预期成果是用于小型铝板(0.3m x 0.3m)的直接电阻加热和顺应密封技术的概念验证原型。还将实现一项全面的(2M X 2M)实施研究，使Verbom能够开始在其安装中测试这些技术。预计这项工作将产生至少2项专利，使Verbom在板材加工方面具有商业优势，并扩大汽车行业的市场，从而增加加拿大铝生产商对铝改造的需求。 该项目将有助于实现汽车用铝的大众化。通过提供更多的设计自由和更优惠的定价，我们将扩大商业案例证明从钢铁转向铝的项目数量。其结果将是更轻的汽车，更少的能源消耗，更好的电动汽车续航里程，更少的污染和更小的碳足迹。它还将使AluQuébec能够将在该项目中获得的知识与其他铝转化过程进行调换或结合，从而将加拿大铝业的使用扩大到其他市场。该项目将有助于培养下一代高素质的铝转化人才，这对加拿大工业具有战略意义。

This project seeks to increase the output rate of High Speed Blow Forming (HSBF), a process developed by Verbom that allows superplastic forming of aluminium sheets at high speed. This process achieves a production time of a few minutes per part, but the long-term objective is to reach a production rate of 120 parts per hour. To achieve this, novel strategies regarding the heating of the sheets to superplastic temperatures (~500 C) and the sealing of the sheets in the mold cavities must be developed as these have been identified as the main limitations in increasing the process rate. The expected outcomes of this research project are proof-of-concept prototypes of direct resistance heating and compliant sealing technologies for small-scale aluminium sheets (0.3m x 0.3m). A full-scale (2m x 2m) implementation study will also be realised, allowing Verbom to start testing these technologies in their installations. It is expected that at least 2 patents will result from this work, giving a commercial edge in sheet metal processing for Verbom, and widening the market in the automotive industry, thus increasing the need for aluminium transformation for the Canadian aluminium producers. This project will help to democratize the aluminum usage in vehicles. By offering more design freedom and better pricing, we will expand the number of projects where business cases will justify the switch from steel to aluminum. The result will be lighter vehicle, less energy consumption, better range for electrical vehicle, less pollution and smaller carbon footprint. It will also allow AluQuébec to transpose or combine the knowledge acquired in this project with other aluminum transformation processes, which will in return expand the use of Canadian Aluminium to other markets. This project will contribute to the training of the next generation of highly qualified personnel in the aluminum transformation, which strategic to the Canadian industry.