Low Cost Hydroforming

Low cost hydroforming on the Rainbow Aviation Video channel with your host Brian Carpenter. In this episode were going to be taking a look at a low cost way to manufacture your own aluminum hydro-formed parts.

This is a companion video for technically speaking article published in the May 2016 sport aviation magazine

Link to free plans

[nleroux]

To help prevent any cracks, Polish the forming radius of the forming block. Oil you block before putting you blank piece. You want a lubricant between your blank and your block. Use clevis pins for your locating pins: they are cheap, have a loose fit and a low head. Also always consider the grain direction of the aluminium. The best is to have the grain direction perpendicular to the forming radius (less cracking and stronger finished part) ...I've designed more than a 1000 of these forming tools over the last 20 years.

[colinleitch]

This is Rubber Pressing by the Guerin method. Lurathane is a Polyurethane elastomer suitable for this process. Two one inch sheets can successfully be substituted for the two inch block. More complicated and larger pieces can be formed with the use of pressure intensifiers that assist the rubber to flow around the solid die. A second die with a bevel and a cutout in the shape of the first die with significant clearance ( an inch or more) around the first die.

[ronfad]

If you sprinkle talcum powder on both pieces of rubber it will flow much easier and last longer.We use rubber quite often in our shop for forming but mostly as a bottom die in a 150 ton press brake.

[blipco]

Instead of dealing with an inner tube as a sacrificial medium...try using pieces of roll rubber roofing material. It's much tougher than inner tube. There are a couple of different thicknesses available but it's cheap and easy to cut and easy to work with.

[mdscownz]

If you're making smaller pieces you could use a hockey puck for the rubber blank. They're plentiful.
Or the blocks they use for automotive lifts. They're relatively affordable, easy to find and come in many shapes and sizes

[ctcboater]

I've made dies from fiberglass with as much as 1.5" draw in mild steel. I use a 200 ton hydraulic press for pieces as big as 300 square inches. Instead of rubber, I make male and female dies.

[jameskeywood]

You can also try baby powder as the lubricant instead of lemon pledge. Put some between the tooling and the metal, too.

[javiervidaurre]

Excellent! No fluff nor filler. Eye opener, thought provoking, I want one.

[Tom-tkdu]

Remarkable manufacturing technique. I've done a lot of machining/milling and composite work, but never this. Very cool.

[jm]

I have made dies for rubber forming with glass reinforced bondo, works well for a limited number of parts.

[TimBradleyFromOz]

Not interested in forming. Well, not much.
But I love videos like these packed. Useful information for us non-professional makers.
Well done.

[cannaroe]

You should blend your rubber into chunks, making bags of different densities, mixed with different dyes. Red for high, blue for low, etc. Then "pour" this rubber into box to give a differential gradient by mixing them. If the rubber is not only of varying colour but also varying size, you could quickly filter them back out into bags afterwards, and refresh the bags from time to time.

[rocktcatU]

Wow, this is one of the most informative videos I've seen in a while.

[garymuncy]

Excellent teaching !

6061 T6 .010 thick material could be formed I believe .

Hardcoat Anodizing could allow stiffness, and wear resistant surfaces, and color dying.

I have c n c machined solid material, and your teaching teaches this.

Thank you

Thank you

[sierraecho]

I love this video. Combined with 3D printing you can shape anything for pennies in 1 day without machining.

[loftsatsympaticodotc]

Really great instructional video, clear instruction, well illustrated, good unity. Thank you bigly for creating same. :-)

[jamesbarratt]

Well well well. And just when you think youve seen everything, this comes along.

[numbasixx]

Can use a harbor freight log splitter as a press also. We use them for forge presses in blacksmithing. Cheap as hell and it can be used as a log splitter or a press just by fabricating some kind of quick(ish) die changing system.

[eflanagan]

I think that your locating pins should be as rounded and low as possible. The hex corners prevent smooth flow of the rubber towards acted on material. Also, the sharp corners of the hex are what tears the inner tube sacrificial material.

[georgerichbark]

Wow...I have nothing I need to make but I want to go out and round up all the stuff for this rig. Amazingly cool. Subbed!