TPT September 2015

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Technology News
74 September 2015
Ultrasonic tube drawing system
THE Tube Drawing System and
components from Sonobond Ultrasonics
are designed to accommodate
manufacturers of fine metal tubing
products used to transport critical fluids.
“In conventional tube drawing
systems, lubricants are used to reduce
friction between tooling and metal
tubing,” explained Sonobond president
Janet Devine. “With our ultrasonic
system, high-frequency vibrations create
a continuous cycle of increasing and
decreasing pressure between tooling
and work piece, resulting in less friction
and a reduction of force needed for
the draw, and consequently significant
improvement in the internal surface
finish of the tube, which is absolutely
essential for critical fluid transmission.
Optimum results are achieved when
the ultrasonic activation is used in
conjunction with ‘best practices’ such as
lubricants.”
In a standard rod draw operation, a
controller first positions the tube to be
drawn over a long back support rod,
terminated in a plug, so that the tube
to be drawn can be loaded onto the
machine. Draw carriage jaws then grasp
the tube and pull it through a die, which
is on the outside of the tube and aligned
with the plug inside the tube, thinning
the tube walls and achieving the desired
wall thickness and internal diameter.
Multiple draws are often required, with
progressively smaller dies and plugs to
reach the desired tube size.
In an ultrasonic system, a power
supply converts line power to the high
voltage, high frequency electrical power
needed to drive the transducer, which
is attached to a coupler at the back end
of the back support rod and mounted
on a carriage on the draw bench. The
transducer converts electrical energy to
vibratory energy.
Adding ultrasonic energy to a tube-
drawing operation can reduce the draw
force required, and permit heavier re-
ductions, reducing the number of draws
required to achieve a finished product.
Sonobond Ultrasonics – USA
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Website:
Sonobond’s ultrasonic tube drawing system