Rapid Tube Hydroforming - The Innovative Casting-Forming Method for Rapid Prototyping

Abstract

In the recent years, the demand for weight reduction in modern vehicle construction has led to an increase in the application of hydroforming processes for production of automotive and aerospace lightweight components. The tube hydroforming measurement site (TH stand), designed and built at Warsaw University of Technology allows both die, and free tube hydroforming processes to be performed, thereby making it possible to obtain information about the material, as well as optimal process parameters [1][2]. The present freshly patented method for metal tube hydroforming is dedicated to short product series or even single products and prototypes [3]. The method is applicable to forming difficult-to-machine materials. The well-known techniques use dies made of plastic or wood, especially to form short product series. The use of moulding sand and properly prepared geometry of casting mould makes possible shaping materials at high temperatures, which could not be done in previous short series solutions, where a plastic or wooden die were used.

Application of the Numerical Model to Design the Geometry of a Unit Tool in the Innovative RTH Hydroforming Technology

“…The rapid tube hydroforming (RTH) method, recently patented by the authors [12], makes hydroforming cost-efficient for single-piece production. The new method has thereby complemented the range of hydroforming technology and allowed for its use in the full range of production volumes, as represented in Figure 1 which highlights the new completed classification of hydroforming methods [13,14]. In regular hydroforming processes, as in many other metal forming techniques, the die cavity is designed to force the final product shape.…”