Tiefzieh

Tiefzieh is a German term commonly used to describe deep drawing, a forming process in which a sheet material is plastically deformed into a hollow or recessed shape by drawing it into a die with a punch. The term is applied to both metalworking (sheet metal deep drawing) and to thermoforming of thermoplastic sheets (vacuum or pressure deep drawing), depending on context.

In metal deep drawing, a circular or blank sheet is clamped at the edges and forced into a die cavity by a punch, often with a blank holder to control material flow and prevent wrinkling. Typical materials include low- to medium-strength steels, aluminum, and copper alloys. The process can produce cups, cans, automotive panels and other seamless, axisymmetric or complex components. Key parameters are material ductility, tool geometry, lubrication, and draw ratio; multi-stage drawing operations are used for large depth-to-diameter ratios.

In plastic Tiefzieh processes, heated thermoplastic sheet is stretched over a mold and formed by vacuum or air pressure, used for packaging, trays, and housings. Advantages of Tiefzieh include high material utilization, good surface finish, and suitability for mass production. Limitations include dependence on material formability, tooling cost for complex shapes, and potential for springback or thinning. Related processes include hydroforming, stretch forming, and incremental sheet forming.