Hydraulic Press Machinery for Aerospace Manufacturing
At Beckwood we are proud to be a leading press supplier for some of the largest and most advanced space manufacturing companies in the solar system. From ground level operations to expeditions beyond our atmosphere, aerospace manufacturing facilities rely on Beckwood presses to make every mission a success.
Forming parts for the aerospace industry requires advanced machinery with the highest degree of accuracy, incredible power, and the capacity to handle large sheets to form complex parts. Whether the challenge at hand is hot forming titanium, deep drawing high temp engine alloys, or compression molding composite components, Beckwood provides the ideal process for your aerospace manufacturing needs.
Our presses and forming machines designed to tackle the unique challenges faced by the aerospace and space manufacturing industries. Learn about how our high-quality machinery can take your aerospace forming to new heights:
Aerospace Machining vs. Pressing
Aerospace machining is often hailed for its complex shaping capabilities, but the process often comes with a hefty manufacturing cost. While CNC machining is highly efficient, high costs arise in the form of the time and labor spent programming the machining path, the time spent machining, and possibly the worst offender is the cost of wasted material. Machining is reductive in nature, meaning that pounds upon pounds of highly valuable alloys can be wasted in the machining of just one part.
With some calculated DFM, many parts that would seem ‘ideal’ for machining can be made to a higher quality with a hydraulic press, servo-electric press, or hydroforming machine.
Aerospace Machining vs. Pressing
Aerospace machining is often hailed for its complex shaping capabilities, but the process often comes with a hefty manufacturing cost. While CNC machining is highly efficient, high costs arise in the form of the time and labor spent programming the machining path, the time spent machining, and possibly the worst offender is the cost of wasted material. Machining is reductive in nature, meaning that pounds upon pounds of highly valuable alloys can be wasted in the machining of just one part.
With some calculated DFM, many parts that would seem ‘ideal’ for machining can be made to a higher quality with a hydraulic press, servo-electric press, or hydroforming machine.
Create Near-Net Aerospace Components with TRIFORM
Sheet HydroForming Presses
Going beyond traditional press equipment, Beckwood has the expertise in specialized aerospace manufacturing equipment thanks to the ingenuity of our TRIFORM Engineers. Beckwood’s Triform™ sheet hydroforming presses thrive in low-volume, high-mix production environments where tool changes occur frequently and manufacturing processes are continually refined. Sheet hydroforming presses use a pressurized rubber diaphragm and a single un-mated tool to create near-net-shape parts in just one cycle. Triform’s proprietary In-Sight tool even allows you to view forming progress at any point throughout a cycle and adjust the recipe to achieve optimum forming results. This feature greatly expedites R&D and reduces costs and scrap.
Learn More >
Triform Draw Sheet Hydroforming
Going beyond traditional press equipment, Beckwood has the expertise in specialized aerospace manufacturing equipment thanks to the ingenuity of our TRIFORM Engineers. Beckwood’s Triform™ sheet hydroforming presses thrive in low-volume, high-mix production environments where tool changes occur frequently and manufacturing processes are continually refined. Sheet hydroforming presses use a pressurized rubber diaphragm and a single un-mated tool to create near-net-shape parts in just one cycle. Triform’s proprietary In-Sight tool even allows you to view forming progress at any point throughout a cycle and adjust the recipe to achieve optimum forming results. This feature greatly expedites R&D and reduces costs and scrap.
Learn More >
Triform Ring Expanders
Going beyond traditional press equipment, Beckwood has the expertise in specialized aerospace manufacturing equipment thanks to the ingenuity of our TRIFORM Engineers. Beckwood’s Triform™ sheet hydroforming presses thrive in low-volume, high-mix production environments where tool changes occur frequently and manufacturing processes are continually refined. Sheet hydroforming presses use a pressurized rubber diaphragm and a single un-mated tool to create near-net-shape parts in just one cycle. Triform’s proprietary In-Sight tool even allows you to view forming progress at any point throughout a cycle and adjust the recipe to achieve optimum forming results. This feature greatly expedites R&D and reduces costs and scrap.
Learn More >
Triform Stretch Forming
Going beyond traditional press equipment, Beckwood has the expertise in specialized aerospace manufacturing equipment thanks to the ingenuity of our TRIFORM Engineers. Beckwood’s Triform™ sheet hydroforming presses thrive in low-volume, high-mix production environments where tool changes occur frequently and manufacturing processes are continually refined. Sheet hydroforming presses use a pressurized rubber diaphragm and a single un-mated tool to create near-net-shape parts in just one cycle. Triform’s proprietary In-Sight tool even allows you to view forming progress at any point throughout a cycle and adjust the recipe to achieve optimum forming results. This feature greatly expedites R&D and reduces costs and scrap.
Learn More >
Hot Forming & Superplastic Forming Presses
Beckwood hot forming and SPF presses provide ultimate precision, optimal temperature control and uniformity, and extreme process repeatability that is critical to success in aerospace manufacturing. Platens can be fabricated from ceramics, stainless materials, or other exotic metal alloys depending on the specific application requirements. Automated insulated door systems can be provided to efficiently contain the heat within the forming chamber, while also allowing adequate access during part or tool loading and unloading sequences.
During the hot forming process, both the tool and blank achieve a preheat temperature up to 2,000°F to increase the plasticity and elongation characteristics of the material. The introduction of heat allows for the formation of high-strength materials at significantly lower tonnages when compared to cold forming without the risk of cracking, spring-back, or residual stress.
SPF uses extreme temperatures in conjunction with argon gas to form high-strength alloys into complex shapes in a single step. During an SPF cycle, preheated blank sheet metal material is clamped between a die and a plate. Argon gas, injected through the die into the forming chamber, pushes the blank into the die. The resulting parts have a fine surface finish and are near-net-shape, eliminating the need for secondary finishing.
Hot forming and SPF presses are both available with hydraulic or servo-actuated options, so you can choose what powers your press. Beckwood is currently the only manufacturer to offer servo-actuated hot forming presses.
Compression Molding Presses
Compression molding presses utilized heated or cooled platens to achieve a desired forming temperature. They are extremely versatile tools which can be used to shape a wide range of materials from lightweight composites to high-strength alloys. This makes them excellent for aerospace manufacturing facilities which often produce a low volume of high-variety parts. We can manufacture custom compression molding presses for:
• Thermoforming
• Injection Molding
• Composite Forming
• Extrusion Forming
• Reaction Injection Molding
• Powder Compacting
• HDPE Sheet Making
• UHMW Sheet Making
Custom Hydraulic Presses for Space Equipment
Linear Servo Press Technology
Aerospace manufacturing processes, like complex draw work and stamping high-strength alloys, require tight process control. With Beckwood LSP™, you can easily program ram position, travel distance, and speeds for maximum productivity. With instant feedback for diagnostics and data acquisition to record and measure torque, force, position, and time, no press offers greater precision or better part quality. With presses ranging from 125 – 500 tons, Beckwood LSP™
offers the highest tonnage capacity of any linear servo press available. High precision, uptime, reliability, and unmatched forming flexibility are pillars of this world-class press technology. The use of a servo motor and linear motion system allows for greater control over the pressing process, including the ability to adjust the press force, speed, and stroke. This makes linear servo presses ideal for stamping of high-strength sheet metals, complex draw forming, progressive die forming, assembly, and any application that requires high-precision and/or accuracy.
For low-tonnage part forming and assembly operations, our line of EVOx servo-electric presses has the right press for the job. With options for actuator size, frame type, dwell time, heated platens, safety features, and more, these machines can be configured to suit your aerospace manufacturing needs. The EVOx is available in a tonnage as low as 2.5 tons, up to as high as 50 tons. Positional repeatability to within ±0.0005″ is made easy with this machine designed for high accuracy and high precision.
Rubber Pad Presses
