Proceedings / 3rd International Conference Hot Sheet Metal Forming of High Performance Steel

It is just three years ago that the CHS2-series of international conferences was established. During the 1st CHS2 conference in 2008 itself it became obvious that hot stamping technology had already grown into a global technological movement leading to a paradigm shift in sheet metal forming. The 2nd CHS2 conference in 2009 showed that this technology unleashed a huge wave of innovations almost unaffected by the prevalent economical crisis at that time. Several ideas on process technology and product applications offering a wide range of new possibilities were presented and discussed intensively, thereby establishing CHS2 as „the“ international platform for hot stamping technology. In the meantime, many of these ideas were successfully introduced in series production and press hardening became all pervasive in all important sectors. Today hot stamping is undoubtedly a sustainable global technology. The expected surge in growth of this technology in part production, material supply, production equipment etc. has also given rise to some sort of unhealthy competition. Besides the wellknown pioneers of this technology who were amazingly often from SME-companies many new players have appeared on the scene. Competition has risen inexorably and to be able to act globally has certainly become an existential challenge. It has however been clearly understood during these years that press hardening is an inevitably knowledge-driven technology. Without a proper understanding of the governing thermo-mechanical mechanisms it is perhaps possible to move along the „low-end“ of technology but impossible to reach the „high-end“. Therefore, there are still very promising opportunities also for SME-companies in reaching and/or maintaining their position at the „high-end“ of hot stamping technology and to share/benefit from the high level of added value. The acquisition of substantial knowledge, therefore, constitutes the main „key“ to be successful in the aforementioned sense. To achieve this, being part of a network and having access to information on technological developments in the same way as to economical market data and facts becomes a key-factor when it comes to meet competition and, finally, to belong to the successful global players in technology. The 3rd International Conference on Hot-Sheet Metal Forming of High-Performance Steel CHS2 2011, therefore, specifically addresses these key-aspects. All the relevant technical trends and market forecast are available from the the papers compiled in these proceedings finally making this collection as one of the most important sources of information in press hardening technology for the upcoming period of two years before the 4th CHS2 conference in Luleå in 2013 renews and updates with new knowledge pertaining to this technology.