Abstract
Tailored welded blanks are increasingly being used in the motor vehicle sector, the purpose of these blanks being to reduce weight and production costs by means of a reduction in the number of parts to be assembled. The stamping of welded blanks gives new freedom in the optimization of the final geometry while raising a series of difficulties. Over the past few years, the Research and Development Centre of the Cockerill Sambre Group has developed a patented tool allowing very great stamping flexibility: the regulated blank-holder with localised force control. This blank holder offers thus a response to all specific tailored blanks problems.