Hydroforming is a relatively new metal forming process with many advantages over traditional cold forming processes including the ability to create more complicated components with fewer operations. For certain geometries, hydroforming technology permits the creation of parts that are lighter weight, have stiffer properties, are cheaper to produce and can be manufactured from fewer blanks which produces less material waste. This paper provides a detailed survey of the hydroforming literature of both established and emerging processes in a single taxonomy. Recently reported innovations in hydroforming processes (which are incorporated in the taxonomy) are also detailed and classified in terms of “technology readiness level”. The paper concludes with a discussion on the future of hydroforming including the current state of the art techniques, the research directions, and the process advantages to make predictions about emerging hydroforming technologies.

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A state of the art review of hydroforming technology: its applications, research areas, history and future in manufacturing

A review on forming technologies of fibre metal laminates

A comprehensive comparison of state-of-the-art manufacturing methods for fuel cell bipolar plates including anticipated future industry trends

Fundamentals and Processes of Fluid Pressure Forming Technology for Complex Thin-Walled Components

Influence of size effects and its key issues during microforming and its associated processes – A review

A method and apparatus for making an object comprising repeatedly selectively depositing a material by controlling one or more deposition areas using a deposition control plate comprising one or more apertures and selectively melting the selectively deposited material.

Method and apparatus for making an object

This paper both summarizes and explores the literature published between 1995 and 2015 on enhancing and extending hydroforming technology. M any different research areas have been proposed, all of which try to enhance the well-established manufacturing process by either improving formability or reducing costs. Each of the technological variations are first described and then their uses, benefits, drawbacks, and applications are discussed and summarized.

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Research directions in hydroforming technology

This paper presents the first academic study of a hydroforming process known as edging. An edging process allows a smaller radius to be produced with a lower pressure than a standard sheet hydroforming process and is currently developed by trial and error that relies heavily on operator experience. This paper reports the first systematic investigation of the edging process that concludes in a new analytical model which can be used to enable the design of edging processes. It was found that in each of the three aerospace nickel alloys tested, the edging technique was effective in sharpening the flange radius from 10 mm to 4 mm or from 6 mm to 2 mm in thicknesses of 2.1 mm and 1.2 mm respectively. This radius is equivalent to between 1.5 and 1.8 times the material thickness (1.5 t to 1.8 t). These results were achieved by using edging heights of between 2.5 to 5 mm (2.5 t to 3 t). At the limits of successful edging operations, (under 2 t) three different kinds of phenomena were observed: crushing of the top of the component, radii which were pushed inwards, and the generation of an underside lip which protruded from the bottom of the samples. This paper discusses the benefits of hydroforming with an edging operation, explores the limitations of the edging process, derives an equation which can be used to estimate the sharpness of an edged radius and finally defines a model which enables the design of an edging operation. The work reported here is particularly relevant to aerospace applications because it will enable lighter components to be formed with lower pressures with nickel based superalloys.

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Enabling sheet hydroforming to produce smaller radii on aerospace nickel alloys

The application of finite element method (FEM) in the area of metal forming and material processing has significantly increased in the recent years. The study presented provides details of the development of a finite element modelling approach to form a part via a sheet hydroforming (SHF) process. Both FEM analysis and experimental trials were introduced in this study to produce a complex shaped component from Inconel 718 material. The FEM provides a robust feasibility study for forming this part in terms of blank design, load path and process design optimisation. The simulated hydroformed part was validated by performing experimental trials. The analysis demonstrated close correlation between the predicted FE model and the physical trial.

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David Savings

Papers

A state of the art review of hydroforming technology: its applications, research areas, history and future in manufacturing

Method and apparatus for making an object

Research directions in hydroforming technology

Enabling sheet hydroforming to produce smaller radii on aerospace nickel alloys

Feasibility Study of Complex Sheet Hydroforming Process: Experimental and Modelling