Punch design for floating based micro-tube hydroforming die assembly

摘要

AbstractConventional punches used in tube hydroforming (THF) are hollow to facilitate supply of pressurized fluid to the die cavity. The fabrication of hollow micro-punches for micro-THF which can sustain punch loads presents a challenge. This study proposes different types of micro punch designs that can be used in conjunction with floating based micro-tube hydroforming (THF) die set-up. Finite element analysis was carried out to determine the feasibility of the proposed punch design variants followed by Micro-THF experiments. The experiments were carried out to hydroform Y, T, and bulge shaped parts from SS 304 1mm and 2mm tubular blanks. The study has demonstrated that notched punches can effectively be used in micro-THF. The major benefit of using notched punches is that, longer micro-punches with the desired strength can be fabricated with ease using electrical discharge machining (EDM).]]>