Clinching - innovative joining technology for trucks

Clinching, mechanical joining by upsetting, is above all established in the automotive industry. Currently the process application is mainly limited to connections of thin sheets. Investigations done by Fraunhofer IWU point out the possibility of using this high efficiency and innovative joining technology even for applications with distinctly higher sheet thicknesses. In principle, clinching can be used for joining attaching parts or structural components in trucks. The transfer of knowledge from thin sheet used in the automotive sector to the sheet thicknesses used in trucks as well as the numerically supported system development lie in the focus of the research activities at Fraunhofer IWU.