Incremental tube forming process shapes high-strength pipe materials

Dortmund Technical University and transfluid Maschinenbau GmbH have cooperated to develop incremental tube forming, a step-by-step shaping of a tube end or tube that allows processing of high-strength and ultrahigh-strength materials. Straight tubes can be formed into increasingly complex shapes, according to the company.

The process can be used for weight reduction in the automotive industry, for example. A variety of products manufactured with the process can be exposed to heavy loads while remaining lightweight.

Hydroforming can be a subsequent process to incremental tube forming. A tube is preformed with different diameters and different wall thicknesses by means of the incremental forming, but with no change in wall thickness in the locally reduced tube area.

High-strength and ultrahigh-strength materials can be cold-shaped. Bending radii and free-form radii can be shaped in a continuous process with high accuracy and no springback. A low ovality of the bend can be achieved with minimal reduction in wall thickness.