Although hydroforming as a method for metal forming has been around for more than 60 years, recent innovations and advancements by FluidForming Americas are changing the way industries think about sustainability, profits, product design, prototyping, and manufacturing.

1. 5 A D V A N C E M E N T S I N
HYDROFORMING
F O R 2 0 1 8

2. Although hydroforming as a method for metal forming has been
around for more than 60 years, recent innovations and advancements
by FluidForming Americas are changing the way industries think about
sustainability, profits, product design, prototyping, and manufacturing.

3. A D V A N C E M E N T O N E
FLUIDFORMING BRINGS
SUSTAINABILITY TO HYDROFORMING
For years, environmentally harmful hot chamber die
casting has been the go-to metal forming option for
the automotive, marine, and aerospace industries.
High-pressure die casting produces harmful
emissions, greenhouse gases, dust, and waste
pollutants. Even tradition hydroforming, which
relies on hydraulic fluid as the forming liquid, has
harmful environmental ramification.

4. FluidForming’s FormBalancer machine, which relies entirely
on highly pressurized recycled tap water as its forming liquid,
is the greenest, most sustainable metal forming method
available to manufacturers today.
A D V A N C E M E N T O N E
FLUIDFORMING BRINGS
SUSTAINABILITY TO HYDROFORMING

5. Other environmental benefits of FluidForming include:
• Uses recycled tap water with forming pressures of up to
400 mPA/60,000 psi
• Low energy consumption
• Low noise operation
• Nested, modular die structures greatly reduce costly
forming dies requirements & enable us of 3-D printed and
composite materials as die forms
• Lighter, studier parts result in improved product
performance
• FluidForming replacing environmentally
harmful foundry cast or
plastic parts with metal
• Rejected waste heat canbe recovered and recycled
A D V A N C E M E N T O N E
FLUIDFORMING BRINGS
SUSTAINABILITY TO HYDROFORMING

6. A D V A N C E M E N T T W O
FLUIDFORMING LOWERS CAPITAL
COSTS AND INCREASES PROFIT
The acquisition costs of the FluidForming FormBalancer machine are comparable
to legacy, bladder-based hydroforming machines; however, the FormBalancer’s
total cost of ownership is significantly lower. The universal sheet metal and tube
forming machine does not require any additional foundational reinforcements, it
relies on recycled water as its forming fluid, requires significantly less energy to
operate, and its overall factory footprint is minimal.
The FormBalancer machine is
available to lease or own.

7. A D V A N C E M E N T T H R E E
FLUIDFORMING LOWERS PRODUCTION COSTS
REDUCE TOOLING AND DIE COSTS
Legacy die casting equipment and dies are very costly. Because the FluidForming
technology seamlessly weaves in CAD and additive technologies, die costs are
slashed. Unlike traditional metal stamping, for example, in which two dies are
needed, The FormBalancer requires just one die and can accommodate 3D-printed
dies.

8. A D V A N C E M E N T T H R E E
FLUIDFORMING LOWERS PRODUCTION COSTS
SHRINK YOUR TIME-TO-MARKET PROJECTIONS
Because FluidForming dramatically streamlines the pre-production process by
integrating 3D dies and nested die structures, a product’s time-to-market is
minimized. Changeover times between component runs are minimal.
Instead of waiting weeks or months from ideation to production, FluidForming
produces high-quality, production components in a matter of days. Prototype die
form is production tooling.

9. A D V A N C E M E N T T H R E E
FLUIDFORMING LOWERS PRODUCTION COSTS
MINIMIZE POST FORMING LABOR COSTS
Our high forming pressures virtually eliminate warping and springback, which
minimizes post forming fixturing and clamping. Our Advanced Finite Element
Analysis feature even allows for the evaluation of part design prior to tool build.

10. A D V A N C E M E N T T H R E E
FLUIDFORMING LOWERS PRODUCTION COSTS
MAINTENANCE COSTS ARE MINIMAL
When compared to traditional, bladder-based hydroforming, die casting, or sheet
metal stamping, the cost of maintaining the FormBalancer machine is minimal. In
traditional hydroforming, the bladders used to contain the hydraulic forming fluid
routinely fail. Not only does this slow production times and increase costs, but
cleanup is messy and inconvenient.

11. A D V A N C E M E N T F O U R
FLUIDFORMING IS THE FUTURE
OF METAL FORMING
New additive manufacturing (AM) technologies are breaking down barriers to
metal printed parts and traditional manufacturing and metal forming industries
scrambling to find ways to integrate AM into their dated, 19th- and 20th-century
technologies.
The FormBalancer, which can produce several components simultaneously in just
minutes, readily accepts AM printed tools made from plastics, graphite, or metal.
FluidForming fills the gap between costly and time-consuming single part-per-day
machines and die stamping’s thousands of parts-per-day. It’s the perfect solution
for prototyping and low- to moderate-volume production.

12. A D V A N C E M E N T F I V E
FLUIDFORMING ENABLES CREATIVITY,
IDEATION, AND INNOVATION
Thanks to the technology’s rapid prototyping capabilities, product designers and
engineers are free to dream and to innovate on the fly. Companies that utilize the
FluidForming technology benefit from vastly reduced lead times and low tooling
costs; which results in fast product development cycles. Thanks to the seamless
integration from CAD to 3D-printed tools, it’s easy to make minor adjustments to a
component until you achieve perfection!

13. Learn more about current trends in metal forming and find out if
the FluidForming technology is right for your next project.
Contact FluidForming Americas today at
(800) 497-3545 or visit us online at ffamericas.com