When it comes to the hydroforming process, there are a number of advantages that come along with it. From being an extremely cost effective metal fabrication process to the versatility in the materials that are most commonly used, the benefits of the hydroforming process are pretty numerous. Hydroforming is a metal fabrication process that makes use of pressurized fluid, metal blanks, and less tooling to create the parts needed in each order.
So when you go to look at potentially working with a hydroforming company for their hydroforming services, understanding the associated advantages can make a key difference!
Advantages of the Hydroforming
Complex and Irregular Shapes
The hydroforming process allows a hydroforming company to fabricate and form complex shapes or parts with irregular details in one single cycle. This helps to reduce the number of times the material and piece must go through the fabrication process.
With the ability to form complex and irregular shapes in one single cycle, the parts and components that are formed have minimal thin-out as a result! Parts fabricated through hydroforming also maintain tight and precise tolerances that are needed in many industries like aerospace, defense, power generation, and health care.
Some complex shapes that can be achieved through the hydroforming process include:
- Conical shapes like nose cones
- Exhausts
- Engine covers and parts
- Tubular parts
- Reflectors
- Cooking vessels
- Sterilizer trays
Quality Finishes
Another advantage of the hydroforming process is the quality finish that comes about during it. Because of the high pressure hydraulic fluid that is used to form parts during hydroforming, the metal pieces come out of the process with an almost perfect finish that is free of scuffs and scratches.
With the end quality finish being so free of blemishes, this essentially eliminates any need for polishing or finishing later on. And this elimination of further finishing work also ties into the next advantage of the hydroforming process: cost savings.
Cost Savings
The hydroforming process is a great alternative to other traditional methods of fabrication like die stamping or fluid cell forming. The hydroforming process really allows customers to be able to cut down on the upfront costs that are typically associated with more other traditional methods of metal forming and stamping.
Hydroforming totally cuts out the need for dies that can run on the expensive side, cast plastics that would normally be used for prototyping, hard epoxy, and other hardened steel tools.
A hydroforming company goes through the hydroforming process with only one punch, a ring that holds the metal blank in place, and using hydraulic pressure fluid to form metal parts and components. The hydroforming process only needs to be run through once to result in a high quality and finished product. With the one cycle and reduced need for tooling, the cost savings associated with the hydroforming process are extremely advantageous to customers who are interested in precisely fabricated parts.
Prototyping Potential
Jones Metal will be able to provide cost effective prototyping through the hydroforming process. Small adjustments can be made to the hydroforming tooling and material thickness, allowing a hydroforming company to produce small runs of prototypes simply and easily.
Prototyping with a hydroforming company is a cost effective way to get your hands on prototypes if need be.
Hydroforming Advantages Wrap Up
So, the above are all advantages that the hydroforming process can offer to customers in any number of industries. Whether one is in the aerospace industry and in need of mission critical parts or one is in healthcare and on the search to have an order of sterilizing trays fulfilled, the hydroforming process might be the solution.
