Objectif
Thixoforming is a young technology of shaping metals in the semi-solid state which provides combined advantages of both, shapability (thixoforging) and quality (thixocasting) compared to conventional processing. The advantages of thixoforming offer the possibility to produce complex structural parts with lower forming energies and less process steps which lead to higher economical processes and effective use of materials. Thixoforming can be used to produce parts which are highly charged during usage with a complex structure, experience has already been obtained in the field of aluminium alloys. By transferring this process to steels a much broader application will be made available. Due to higher requirements for the thixoforming process fundamental investigations have to be made to produce complex structural parts by thixoforming.