TOBIAS Apfel from Schuler Germany has written about the use of hydroforming to manufacturing complex metal parts.
The technology is mostly used for automotive parts such as chassis, exhaust and structural components.
According to Apfel, hydraulic and hydro-mechanical drawing techniques can save time and money, with a prototype production average of 48 hours between idea and shape. The techniques are also said to cost 60% less than the development and fabrication of dies.
The company also claims the investment costs for the technology are fairly low, because the new processes use existing machine bases. Machines can be retrofitted with new pressure chambers.
Schuler emphasises the costs savings of only producing the female die and with subsequent laser cutting.
There are two different processes in the new techniques. In hydraulic deep drawing, parts are formed into the rigid female die by way of a pressurised liquid medium. The die provides the shape of the part. In hydro-mechanical deep drawing, a rigid punch provides the shape, and is pressed against a pressurised liquid medium causes the part to form.
Apfel claims forming via a fluid medium enables the production of spherical geometries in one manufacturing step, as well as high surface qualities. The risk of second-order wrinkles is also greatly decreased. The process is therefore suited to the production of parts which have large, non-supported ring areas.
Active media forming is suited for manufacturing small to medium-sized volumes of parts with convex/concave geometries which require high qualities for shape and surface.

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