Automotive industry is demanding more efficient materials and manufacturing processes to design lightweight and safer cars with less vehicle emissions, so that the use of HSS (high strength steel) has significantly increased.

Regarding innovative manufacturing processes, the high velocity forming techniques (electromagnetic, electrohydraulic) appear to be alternatives to overcome limitations from a weaker formability of HSS.

The project objective is to establish the feasibility of high velocity forming methods and to quantify the enhancement achievable with these techniques in the formability of HSS and stainless steel sheets and tubes for automotive applications such as reinforcements, exhaust system components or forming of small radii at any component.