They are most often used to connect two pipes together with a permanent joint. The ends of tubes can also be flattened, slotted, notched, flared, flanged, or punched.
Tube End Forming Machinery – Burr Oak Tool Inc.
This metal shaping process is a variation of cold forming, meaning that the metal tube or pipe is shaped using increased pressure, not heat. Tube end forming machines use hydraulic or mechanical presses. Often these presses use a repeated hammering motion to shape the tube. Because tube end forming is a shaping process and requires no cutting, there is no wasted metal that needs to be thrown out at the end of the process, therefore being cost-efficient and non-wasteful.
In addition, the tube end forming process can provide improved tube strength, better connectivity between components, and improved sealing capabilities. Tube end forming machines are used on a variety of metal materials, including steel, aluminum, brass, copper, titanium, and stainless steel.
Tube end forming machines provide benefits to many different industries and a diverse range of industrial applications. The automotive and aerospace utilize tube end forming in power transmission applications, like in fuel lines and exhaust pipes. The manufacturing industriy uses this process in the creation of hydraulic cylinders and heat exchangers, and the construction and architecture industries use it for all kinds of hardware like grab bars, floor flanges, and handrails.