Inventor at Bistabledome.

com Suggests Bistable Domes Can be Used to Print

Shape in Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS) to Reduce Auto Weight, Global
Warming

Inventor suggests the low pressure incremental stamping of overlapping bistable indentations that
he used for two patents can help shape thin strong steel and reduce weight of and emissions from
cars, trains, and boats.

Albuquerque, NM April 28, 2022 --(PR.com)-- Climate change is pushing the auto industry to transition
to thinner, stronger, and more environmentally friendly steel and inventor Paul Ericson thinks arrays of
very shallow overlapping bistable domes, or OBDs, might help.

Ericson was granted two patents for using rows of flex actuated OBDs to create contact shape digitizing
sensors and pumps that pump when bent. He explains and illustrates the concept at Bistabledome.com.

In a video, Ericson demonstrates how rows and closely packed arrays of OBDs turn tough flat .006” and
.03” 302 stainless steel into stiffer adjustable structures that are only a few times thicker in profile than
the original sheet material.

He suggests they might help address the springback problems common in forming strong thin metals, as
well as reduce tooling and prototyping costs.

The inventor also demonstrates that a row of OBDs formed in .03” thick steel is significantly more
resistant to deformation and collapse than the original flat material the same size while being only twice
as thick in profile.

Ericson stamps OBDs from both sides to give them two stable states. He explains that OBDs can be
equally bistable or have a bias for one side. The inventor demonstrates in the video how biased OBDs can
give metal a predisposition for particular curvatures.

Ericson explains OBD arrays can be stamped with low pressure if they are formed incrementally starting
at an edge. "For the sensor and the pump the rows of OBDs were stamped in bands of metal about as
wide as the dome diameter. The edge would buckle slightly near the overlap, functionally shortening the
edge relative to the metal through the middle of the dome row, which wants to occupy a larger radius,"
says Ericson. He explains that with arrays of closely packed OBDs the material deformation is
incorporated in neighboring OBDs, which can also switch sides to compensate.

According to the inventor, adjacent equally bistable overlapping domes alternate orientation when
flattened, one side or the other. When bent they are forced to the outside of the curvature in numbers
proportional to curvature, stabilizing the new shape. "The same generic OBD array structure can stabilize
in multiple curvatures of different radii along different axes," says Ericson.

"Managing OBD characteristics such as bistability bias, dome shape and diameter relative to material

Page 1 of 4
PR.com Press Release Distribution Terms
thickness, degree of overlap, etc., can be used to create desired curvature in flat material. If all OBDs
have a strong bias for one side they want to curl into a tube but more complex curvature is possible.
Bistability can allow the part to be formed and stored flat until needed."

The inventor suggests a single machine that can form OBDs with different characteristics, like an impact
printer for domes instead of letters, could 'print' a wide range of shape. “That might help reduce
prototyping and tooling costs,” says Ericson. “And because of the low pressure required, printing tools for
forming thin metal OBDs could be made with common 3D printing materials. Same with rollers that
might be used for large scale production."

"OBD structures may be combined with other metal forming technologies," says Ericson. “They may be
ideal for the large radius curvature common in auto, boat, train, and aerospace related engineering. They
may also be useful for storage and containment structures.”

Ericson believes two or more OBD array layers welded or laminated together could reduce the need for
framing and bracing. "OBD arrays of different shape, size, and bistability could be overlapped in layers to
produce more complicated curvature," says Ericson. He suggests flexibility and deformation resistance of
OBD structures could be controlled with coatings or glues that manage the ability of domes to switch
sides.

Page 2 of 4
PR.com Press Release Distribution Terms
Contact Information:
Bistabledome.com
Paul Ericson
505-699-5016
Contact via Email
www.bistabledome.com

Online Version of Press Release:

https://www.pr.com/press-release/860045

Page 3 of 4
PR.com Press Release Distribution Terms
 Page 4 of 4
PR.com Press Release Distribution Terms