TPT September 2015

Technology News

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,

Sonobond’s ultrasonic tube drawing system

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 Email: info@sonobondultrasonics.com Website: www.sonobondultrasonics.com

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

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S eptember 2015