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Definition
Hydro Forming uses water
pressure to form complex shapes from sheet or tube material. The pressure may
go up about 60,000 psi depending on the component.
As the automobile industry strives to make car lighter, stronger and more fuel
efficient, it will continue to drive hydro forming applications. Some automobile
parts such as structural chassis, instrument panel beam, engine cradles and radiator
closures are becoming standard hydro formed parts.
The capability of hydro forming can be more fully used to create complicated parts.
Using a single hydro formed item to replace several individual parts eliminate
welding or hole punching, simplifies assembly and reduce inventory.
Taking
Advantage Of Hydro Forming When considering
hydro forming, companies need to ask whether this technology will make a part
cheaper to produce. The real question is whether you can refine the entire manufacturing
process to take advantage of hydroforming that is when it really makes.
Instead of looking at a single competent to determine whether it can be hydro
formed , companied need to look at a product through whole process, from material
to assembly , to determine what savings can be achieved . For e.g. Hydro forming
often reduces number of pieces or the amount of floor space used or eliminates
the need for welding stations. Methods
Of Hydro Forming Tube Hydro forming
Straight, pre bent and or performed tubes are formed by internal water pressure
with additional application of compressive mechanical forces. In this method the
tube in placed in die and as press clamps the die valves, low pressure fluid in
introduced into tube to pre form it. One the
maximum clamping pressure in achieved, the fluid pressure inside the tube in increased
so that tube bulges to take internal shape of the die. Simultaneously additional
cylinders axially compress the tube to prevent thinning and brushing swing expansion.
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