As the benefits and advantages of hydroforming and fabricating become better understood, more and more metal fabricating applications arise. American Hydroformers offers ideal solutions for a myriad of pressure forming challenges. Our unique capabilities for metal forming, metal fabrication, tube bending, tube hydroforming, and pressure forming allow American hydroformers to offer turnkey solutions -- from when the hydroforming press closes to when the final hydroformed part is removed.
PROCESS OVERVIEW
A simplified overview of the hydroform process... Raw tube is loaded into hydroforming dies Hydroforming press closes The sealing rods engage the part, seal the ends and fill it with water Pressure inside the part increases The sealing rods push the tube into the die (endfeed) and the internal pressure is ramped to its maximum value. The hydroformed part takes on the shape of the die. Final hydroformed part is removed. |
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TUBE TO HYDROFORMED PART
This before and after shows the expansion of the tube during the hydroform process. In the upper image, the tube, which has been bent in a previous step on a CNC bender, is placed into the hydroform die. The lower image shows the same tube after hydroforming. Note the expansion and odd shapes that the hydroformed tube took on.