This article discusses three main criteria that govern tube mill tooling—design, materials used in their construction, and alignment of tooling on the mill. Discusses advancements in design due to CAD technology; experimental use of ceramic and plastic materials for making tooling; and the use of subplates and interchangeable components to ease tube mill alignment.

The article outlines factors for consideration when changing material type, grade, coatings, efficient speed requirements, specialty shapes, etc. Special consideration is given to the difference in speed between the minor relief angle and the root diameter.

T-shapes and Y-shapes are the most commonly hydroformed exhaust system components for automobiles. This article reports on the investigation into the metal flow in Y-shape hydroforming by the Engineering Research Center for Net Shape Manufacturing (ERC/NSM) at The Ohio State University, which conducted several experiments using the tooling available at the SPS research center in Aalen, Germany.

The bending characteristics of a tube depend on the material it is made of. Exceeding the allowable limits of this deformation results in unusable parts. The author relates his company's examination and comparison of the bending of two different seamless, extruded tubes: aluminum alloy and steel.

This article relates how a Florida-based company used hydroforming to produce titanium housings for implantable pumps for a Massachusetts-based manufacturer.