When it comes to the manufacture of the auto parts that are being used in various vehicles like cars, buses, and others, the usual thing that comes to the mind of many people is the classic process such as what they call solid die casting.
However, in more recent times, a new method of manufacturing auto parts has been used to make various auto parts from metal. And that is referred to as “Hydroforming”.This has been used especially for those that have asymmetrical or irregular shapes, which are pretty difficult for the stamping method to form.
What You Need to Know About Hydroforming
Hydroforming is the process of making auto parts from metal, which uses a high-pressure liquid, usually water, in order to force a thin sheet or a tube of metal into a specialized die mold.
As for the type of metals that can be used in this method, hear this out – almost all metals can be used in this method, as long as they are cold-formed. You can use metals such as aluminum, steel, stainless steel, brass, and even high-strength alloys.
What Are The Types of Hydroforming?
Hydroforming is classified generally into two (2) types: the first Sheet hydroforming and the other one is Tube Hydroforming.
In Sheet Hydroforming, the process is done by placing a blank sheet of metal over the mold. Then after that, the mold will be closed by a bladder filled with water. From that, the water pressure in it is being increased, which forces the metal to be shaped into the mold.
On the other hand, in Tube Hydroforming, the process is done by placing a raw tube in between two die molds. From that, the ends of the said molds are sealed off, before the tube is being filled with water. Then from that, the water pressure is increased until the tube would take the shape of the mold.
Why Use Hydroforming Now?
The use of Hydroforming can give you a huge number of advantages, especially in comparison to the traditional process of stamping. Capable of forming complex shapes for auto parts which are also lightweight and have a higher ratio of stiffness to weight, it also has a lower cost per unit compared to the stamping method.
The first reason for using hydroforming is the fact that it greatly reduces the cost of production. Thanks to the fact that it no longer involves a series of complex stages to form auto parts, as it usually involves one single stage of production.
The second one is that auto parts formed from this are simple to install and maintain. Unlike other types of auto parts, this one is designed already to quickly mount into place without any other complex manual adjustments, saving more time and cost, and preventing more frequent maintenance activities.
And lastly, this can be used for a wide range of materials. Unlike other forms of forming auto parts, his one can be used on almost all types of metals, as long as they are cold-formed.
