How does electromagnetic forming work?
Electromagnetic forming is based on something called the Lorentz force. Basically whenever an electrical current is rapidly imposed within an electrical conductor, it will develop a magnetic field. This change in magnetic field will induce eddy currents in any nearby conductor that generally run in a direction opposite to the primary current (like in a transformer). These eddy currents develop their own magnetic field and cause a mutual repulsion between the workpiece and actuator. This technique is quite general and is suitable for any workpiece made from a good conductor provided the current pulse is of a sufficiently high frequency. These basics are well described in Moons book. The spatial distribution of pressure can be controlled by the configuration of the actuator and the overall force magnitude is largely controlled by the discharge energy. Has electromagnetic metal forming been used before? There is a long history in the use of both high velocity forming in general (often dev
