TPT September 2010

B ending & E nd F orming

No end form welding with hollow tube spin forming technology

process eliminated the welded joints and grinding operation while enhancing the part quality and providing a smooth finish ready for polishing. Using advanced mechanical design and machine control techniques, new spinforming technologies such as eccentric and oblique spinforming can be addressed. Eccentric Axis Spinforming is used for diameter reduction where one end is on an eccentric (offset) axis to the original cylinder. Oblique Axis Spinforming creates an oblique axis not parallel to the centreline of the cylinder without welding. These technologies are perfect for closed- coupled catalytic converters and similar components. In general, spinning is more efficient than other metalforming processes. Additionally, spun shapes can be combined with cast, drawn, forged or machined parts to reduce costs and increase productivity. Hess Industries, Inc – USA Fax: +1 269 683 1775 Email: sheffer.rick@hessindustries.com Website: www.hessindustries.com

FORMITT Metal Labs, a division of Hess Industries, Inc, USA, offers process development, prototyping and production runs of custom spin formed hollow tube shapes and assemblies. The company uses spin forming, flow forming and assembly technologies to create hollow symmetrical and asymmetrical shapes, fabrications, and assemblies in both ferrous and non- ferrous metals, including stainless and high-alloy steels. Spin forming eliminates the need for welded tube end forms, enhancing overall component quality and reliability. Hollow-tube fabricated assemblies may include the insertion of filtration elements, heat exchange components or catalytic elements for exhaust after-treatment applications. Spin forming provides a seamless profile that will polish with no welds to grind down. In one featured application the customer was manufacturing a line of couplings

using stamped half-forms welded together. Ten different size configurations were being manufactured in aluminium, stainless and carbon steel. Due to wear, the customer needed to rebuild all ten dies, at a cost in the tens of thousands of dollars. Formitt Metal Labs was able to replace all forming and welding operations for the ten part configurations with one set of tube spin forming tooling. As a result, the quality and appearance of the parts were improved while the cost of future new dies, die repairs and welding processes were eliminated. Formitt now provides spin formed production parts to the customer. Another application featured aftermarket motorcycle muffler shells, where the product involved stamped and welded end-cones with the weld being ground down then polished. Formitt’s technicians developed a new manufacturing process that eliminated the dies, stamped parts and welded end-cones. The spin forming

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S eptember 2010

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