Process Applications of Hydraulic Presses

Hydroforming technology is widely used in industries such as automotive, aviation, aerospace, and piping. It is primarily suitable for producing hollow structural components with circular, rectangular, or irregular cross-sections that vary along the component's axis-such as irregularly shaped exhaust system pipes for automobiles; hollow frames with non-circular cross-sections (e.g., engine mounts, dashboard supports, and vehicle body frames, which account for approximately 11%–15% of a vehicle's mass); as well as hollow shafts and complex tubular parts. Figure 2 illustrates typical parts manufactured using hydroforming technology for the automotive industry.
Materials suitable for hydroforming include carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum alloys, copper alloys, and nickel alloys; in principle, any material suitable for cold forming is also suitable for the hydroforming process. This technology is primarily targeted at manufacturers of automotive parts, electronics, electrical appliances, vehicle components, gears, and air conditioning parts, as well as heat treatment facilities.