Matthias Hermes

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Hermes is a Professor of Manufacturing and Forming Technology at the South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences in Meschede, Germany. He leads the Laboratory for Forming and Joining Technology and serves as managing director of the Research Center for Industrial Metal Processing (ReCIMP). His work focuses on developing innovative manufacturing processes for lightweight structures, particularly in tube, profile, and sheet metal forming.

Hermes' educational background includes:

• 1997-2000: Toolmaking apprenticeship
• 2000-2005: Mechanical Engineering studies at FH Soest and TU Dortmund, graduating with a Diplomingenieur degree

His research interests center on flexible manufacturing technologies for lightweight components, with particular expertise in incremental forming processes, 3D bending of tubes and profiles, and hydroforming techniques. Hermes has pioneered several innovative processes including incremental profile forming and torque superposed spatial bending, which enable the production of complex geometries from high-strength materials that were previously unattainable. His work bridges the gap between academic research and industrial application, with numerous patents and technology transfers to manufacturing companies.

Hermes' scientific contributions demonstrate a consistent focus on solving practical manufacturing challenges through innovative process development. His recent work has emphasized quality standards for profile bending, high-speed hydroforming technologies, and computational approaches to springback compensation. The research spans fundamental process understanding to industrial implementation, with strong connections to automotive and metal processing industries.

His significant scientific achievements have been recognized with numerous awards:

• Stahl-Innovationspreis 3. Preis (2015) for "Incremental Profile Forming"
• Best Innovative Paper at IEEE EDUCON 2013
• Stahl-Innovationspreis 2. Preis (2012) for "3D Profile Bending with Inductive Heating"
• Best Paper Award at International Tube Association conference (2012)
• Best Poster Award at International Conference on Plasticity (2011)
• Manus-Award 1. Platz (2009) for innovative use of polymer bearings
• NoAE-Award (2009) for "Incremental Tube Forming"
• Hochschulpreis NRW 3. Preis "Patente Erfinder" (2009)
• VDW-Preis (2003) for diploma thesis

Hermes has been actively involved in technology transfer through his leadership of the ReCIMP research center, collaborating with numerous industrial partners including Transfluid Maschinenbau, Vossloh Fastening Systems, FWB Bröckelmann, Welser Profile, and Almecon Technology. His laboratory provides services ranging from feasibility studies and prototype development to process simulation and specialized training programs in tube and profile forming, sheet metal forming, and thermal and forming-based joining techniques.

The Laboratory for Forming and Joining Technology under Hermes' direction features comprehensive equipment for bending technology (CNC tube and profile bending machines, 3-roll bending machine), profile forming technology (CNC orbital tube forming machine, 4000 bar internal high-pressure forming test stand), measurement and simulation (tactile and laser-based measurement arm, Abaqus FEM software), sheet metal forming (1000 kN press), and all relevant joining processes (MIG, MAG, TIG, Plasma, UP, Laser, Spot, Clinching, etc.). This facility enables end-to-end research from process development through to production-ready implementation.