Quick Facts
| Type of Press | Triform Deep Draw Sheet Hydroforming 16-10-10DD | ||
| Max Chamber Pressure | 10,000 PSI | ||
| Industry | Lighting | ||
| Forming Area | 16" Diameter | ||
| Punch Stroke | 10" | ||
| Daylight | 12" | ||
| Cycle Time | <45 seconds | ||
| Challenge | Reduce tooling costs. | ||
| Solution | Using the soft rubber diaphragm and single tool technology, sheet hydroforming presses reduce tooling costs 50%-90% compared to mated dies. Sheet hydroforming tooling can be manufactured from inexpensive materials such as 3D printed materials, epoxy, or even wood and typically has a longer life than conventional press tooling. | ||
| Challenge | Eliminate the need for secondary finishing. | ||
| Solution | Thanks to the flexible diaphragm, parts are produced with a smooth, uniform, scratch-free surface, typically requiring no additional finishing. By eliminating the need for secondary buffing, polishing and other hand work, labor costs are significantly reduced. | ||
| Results | Their lighting post tops now have a flawless finish as they come out of the Triform press due to the flexible rubber diaphragm which acts as a universal female tool. Production costs went from approximately $30.00/piece to $8.00…a savings of more than 70%! |
A major American lighting company was faced with the constant repair and replacement of deteriorating molds used in the casting of post tops for outdoor lighting products. At around $25,000 each, replacement casting molds were expensive, and had a relatively short production life. During production, product quality would continuously and visibly degrade with each casting. Even new molds required secondary grinding and polishing to improve the parts’ surface quality, with this secondary work requirement increasing as the molds aged.
In an effort to stop the constant cycle of purchasing expensive replacement casting molds, as well as to reduce their manufacturing costs, this lighting company transferred production to a Triform deep draw sheet hydroforming press. Triform presses use a single, unmated die and a pressurized diaphragm to create uniform net-shape parts in a single cycle. Tools can be manufactured from a variety of inexpensive materials including 3D printed substrates, epoxy, and even wood.
Now this customer’s post tops are formed in a single cycle, which eliminates the secondary casting, grinding, and polishing processes. By eliminating the need for hand finishing – caused by the marring and scuff marks left by traditional matched dies – labor costs are significantly reduced. Many parts can even be painted prior to formation, without damage to the surface finish.
Thanks to their new Triform deep draw hydroforming press, our customer no longer needs to stock the expensive molds. Their post tops also now have a flawless finish as they come out of the Triform press, due to the flexible rubber diaphragm which acts as the female half of the tool. As a result, production costs went from approximately $30.00 per piece to $8.00…a savings of more than 70%!