Research dedicated to the development of advanced metal-forming technologies

The Manufacturing Engineering Research Centre (MERC) of the University of Strathclyde is one of several locations for the research and development of high-precision material-conversion processes: the focus at MERC has been on the development of experimental and numerical simulation techniques, new forming-configurations and the development of industrial applications. Current efforts concentrate on conventional forging, injection forging, precision-blanking, vibration-assisted forging and micro-forming. This paper reviews the findings of MERC and appraises the prospects of the application of the research. Future programmes of research are also defined.