Hydroforming

Hydroforming

Hydroforming is a cost-effective way to shape metals. During the process, metal flows around a punch instead of stretching it with dies, so the material has a more consistent thickness. Hydroforming uses fluid pressure in a conventional tool set to form the part into the desired shape of the die. Hydroforming is advantageous because it can perform in one operation what other methods perform in three, while still maintaining the stiffness of the finished product.

Four primary types of hydroforming currently exist. The most popular type, hydroforming of tubes, is usually performed at low pressure and offers tubular parts with improved integrity and structural performance. Panel hydroforming, often used in the aerospace industry, is a high-pressure process that is used to achieve the correct material flow. The third type, low-pressure hydroforming, involves reshaping tubes when the cross-section definition is not strict. High-pressure hydroforming also reshapes the tube, but more drastically. In this type of hydroforming, the length-to-circumference ratio can change up to 50 percent.

A range of items from household pots and pans to cradles to the jet engine cowling on a plane can be made by hydroforming. The process is often used in the automotive industry to make stronger and lighter structures for vehicles. Aluminum, aluminum alloys, carbon steel, mild steel, copper, brass and bronze alloys, nickel, and nickel alloys are metals that are commonly used in hydroforming.