TUBE NEWS TN September 2018 | Page 16

Prototyping for an Assured Process Conversion From brazing and welding processes to efficient forming processes With all types of tubing systems, the technique used for connecting the tubes plays an important role, no matter which sector you look at, as first of all it allows you to produce certain products and also to achieve the required high quality. Another crucial aspect of the connection techniques is the nature of the connecting components. These are still often welded or brazed on. transfluid Maschinenbau GmbH has developed forming solutions as a more effective and cheaper alternative, which make even complex geometries in connection technology possible. Tests: forming geometries replace machined components There was a need for testing facilities that could provide evidence that a component can be made using forming technology. Using the idea of “learning by doing” it is possible to eliminate the risks by running appropriate tests. To be able to do that, 16 TUBE NEWS EVENTS August 2018 the Solutions-Team at transfluid has increased its manufacturing and production area and re-designed their prototyping department. “We are seeing an increasing need among our customer for this testing. We build up the evidence through targeted tests, showing that components that in the past were machined, and therefore expensive, can now be produced through technical forming of geometries”, says Stefanie Flaeper, managing director at transfluid. The prototyping team keeps a close eye on extreme shapes, but also on specific materials, which are often found in weight-reducing builds in the automotive industry, in order to improve processes in collaboration with our clients. Cutting, bending, forming In this case the focus is to create a prototype that is part of the whole process. During these comprehensive tests, the tubes can be cut without generating chips, bent and also formed, all as per customer request. Therefore, all the necessary high-tech systems from transfluid are available in