Patent ID: 7832245

Claim:
A method for hot forming of sheet metal of titanium-base alloys in a forming apparatus, comprising: holding a sheet of titanium-base alloy to be formed between two sealingly closed halves of a tool, thereby forming a pressure side of the tool and a vacuum side of the tool on opposite sides of the held sheet, heating the sheet from the pressure side to a hot-forming temperature with radiation heat from heating elements integrated into the tool, and deforming the sheet towards a vacuum side tool contour by action of a heated gaseous pressure medium free from oxidizing constituents injected into the pressure side and the further action of a vacuum generated on the vacuum side of the titanium-base alloy sheet facing away from the pressure medium; maintaining the vacuum side tool contour cold relative to the heated sheet of titanium-base alloy during the deforming of the sheet such that the heated sheet of titanium-base alloy is immediately cooled and stabilized upon contact of the sheet with the cold vacuum side tool contour.