Method for Making Metal Body and Metal Box by Using Hydroforming

摘要

A hydroforming method for metal is capable of producing hardware having a throat in only one side and having approximately right-angled corners without causing thinning and breakage. The method includes using a working fluid to exert a liquid pressure on a metal embryo and cooperating with a push rod of a hydroforming mold to supply material from the lower edge, forcing the side sheet metals to bulge. Furthermore, by using the hydroforming mold to provide a downwardly pressing active force on the metal embryo, under feeding of the downwardly pressing active force cooperating with continuous liquid pressure, the metal embryo deforms and bulges such that each corner of the metal embryo and the wall corners of the die cavity of the hydroforming mold have approximately the same angles. Hardware, every angle of which approximates a right angle, can be obtained after removing the hydroforming mold. This method can also be used to obtain a metal box.

主权项

1. A hydroforming method for metal comprising:
preparing a hydroforming mold, with the hydroforming mold including side dies, a punch, and a push rod to define a die cavity; providing a metal embryo, with the metal embryo including a bottom and a plurality of side walls, with the bottom and the side walls together defining an interior space, with the interior space having an opening; placing the metal embryo into the die cavity, with the punch pressing against the bottom of the metal embryo, with the push rod facing the opening; filling the interior space of the metal embryo with a working fluid via the opening of the metal embryo, with the working fluid exerting a pressure on the metal embryo; moving the push rod toward the die cavity, with the push rod pressing against the working fluid and top edges of the plurality of side walls of the metal embryo to bulge the side walls of the metal embryo; and moving the punch toward the die cavity to bulge the metal embryo to abut a peripheral wall of the die cavity and to fill corners of the peripheral wall of the die cavity, forming hardware.