Hydroforming

• TEC452 Home
• Body Engineering Index
• Body Components
• Body Design Factors
• Unitized B-I-W
• Hydroforming
• Vibration and Noise
• High-Strength Steel Design Guidelines
• Glass Design
• Neon B-I-W Case Study

• A tube forming technology
• Used for automotive body structural parts
• Tube is formed using a die and fluid at extremely high pressure
• Tubes can have virtually any cross sectional shape which can change continuously throughout the length of the part
• Holes can be pierced during forming

Tube Forming Process

CNC Bending

• Straight welded tube is bent on a CNC bender
• The contour of the bent tube matches the desired contour
• The tube is placed in the hydroforming die

Tube Hydroforming

• The die is closed on the tube and sealed
• The tube is filled with fluid and pressurized
• The tube assumes the shape of the die
• Punches mounted in the die pierce desired holes in the tube

Post Operations

• Cutting off the ends of the part
• Part is checked for accuracy
• Any downstream welding and assembly
• Tubes are generally between 1 and 4 meters in length
• Tubes are generally between 25 and 150 mm in diameter
• Many section expansion restrictions exist

Samples of Hydroformed Parts

Benefits of Hydroforming

• Reduced piece count
• Reductions in weight
• Reductions in tooling investment
• Increased strength
• Increased stiffness

Body Applications

• TEC452 Home
• Body Engineering Index
• Body Components
• Body Design Factors
• Unitized B-I-W
• Hydroforming
• Vibration and Noise
• High-Strength Steel Design Guidelines
• Glass Design
• Neon B-I-W Case Study