Large aerospace part formed using a deep draw sheet hydroforming press

St. Louis, MO – Beckwood Press Company, a leading manufacturer of custom hydraulic and servo-electric presses and the Triform line of specialty forming equipment, has built and installed a new Triform deep draw sheet hydroforming press for a leading U.S. aerospace OEM. The press, a model 32-10-12DD, features a 32” diameter forming area, 10,000 PSI of forming pressure and a 12” depth-of-draw.

The 32-10-12DD allows for the formation of complex geometries by precisely controlling both the bladder pressure and the punch position. These variables can be programmed through the user-friendly controls system, with up to 30 individual recipe steps per cycle. This level of press control and the ability to save proven recipes for future recall results in unprecedented process repeatability. New part development is aided with on-board technologies like Triform’s In-Sight feature, which allows operators to pause and open the chamber at any point in the cycle for a visual inspection of the partially formed part.

“We are proud to announce the installation of our fifth large-diameter Triform deep draw within the last year,” said Beckwood President, Jeffrey Debus. “The competitive advantages offered by our Triform technology, including advanced forming capability, inexpensive tooling requirements and a reduced reliance on skilled labor, are becoming apparent to manufacturers in a variety of industries,” he continued.

Since the flexible diaphragm in the forming chamber acts as a universal female die, mated tooling is not required. This fundamental shift in the tooling requirements results in a lower cost-per-part and faster turnaround times.

“For manufacturers in low-volume, high-mix production environments, or those focused on rapid part development, Triform hydroform presses are indispensable,” said Debus. “The ability to manufacture the tool needed for a complex deep draw part in a matter of days, and at a cost of less than $2,000 in the majority of cases, is game-changing. Triform users have the ability to react quickly to their production needs, at a fraction of the cost when compared to those reliant on matched die sets.”

See how the deep draw hydroforming process works