How does hydroforming work with the FormBalancer?
Hydroforming with the FormBalancer is a high-pressure deformation process that shapes metal sheets into a predefined geometry by using a fluid under high pressure. Hydroforming is similar to the conventional deep-drawing technique with a counter-mould. The specific difference from the conventional method is that the hydroforming process uses a fluid instead of a punch to form the metal sheet into its final shape. This deformation process requires fluid pressures up to 4000 bars, which means that very high tool closing forces need to be applied depending on the size of the component.
The wish of many component creators and designers to have this technology run in a production environment has so far only failed because there were no suitable component forming machines which could have been used to put the highly specialized hydroforming technique into practice.
CONVENTIONAL DEEP-DRAWING
HYDROFORMING WITH THE FORMBALANCER
UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION OF SHEET THICKNESSES THROUGH HYDROFORMING
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Uniform and continuous distribution of strength and stiffness
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Avoiding abrupt transitions in local constraints
DIMENSIONAL STABILITY THROUGH HYDROFORMING
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Maximum repeatability
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Especially with complex geometries
PROCESSING OF DIFFERENT MATERIALS, SIZES AND SHEET THICKNESSES WITH FF FLUID FORMING
Which industries benefit from the use of hydroforming?
Almost any industry can benefit from the advantages of the hydroforming process. Again and again companies are faced with the challenge of simultaneously achieving both lower operating costs and innovative solutions for evolutionary advances of their products. Our high-pressure forming technology offers attractive possibilities in terms of price-performance ratio and manufacturing time.
