Successful dissertation by Alexander Breunig
2024/12/23

On December 3, 2024, our former research associate, Alexander Stefan Breunig, successfully defended his dissertation entitled “Deep Drawing with a Cardanic Blank Holder”.
Fluctuations in material properties lead to a significant increase in scrap rates during deep drawing. The use of complex components and advanced materials in the automotive industry has resulted in a narrowing of the process window. The use of tool-based sensors and actuators can help mitigate these challenges. However, due to the significant financial investment required, this technology is not currently being used in practice.
In his dissertation, Mr. Breunig developed a novel gimbal-mounted hold-down device that allows for uniform pressure distribution across the flange during deep drawing. This results in the ability to achieve greater drawing depths while reducing scrap. The additional degree of freedom provided by a 3D servo press was used to determine the feasibility of a controlled deep drawing process for the development of “intelligent forming machines”. The control approaches developed were successfully tested on rotationally symmetric cups and have no limitations for transfer to more complex geometries.
The PtU thanks Mr. Breunig for his many years of commitment and wishes him all the best and every success for his professional and private future.
