Turnkey hydroforming facility

Description

The choice to use hydroforming in high-tech applications for high volume production requires comprehensive know-how in the planning and engineering of appropriate line concepts.  We develop a custom-designed line concept for each specific application in order to ensure efficient manufacturing at the lowest possible per unit cost.
In the process it is important to have thorough knowledge of the total system, because only in this way can optimal solutions be designed and delivered.  Material flow, part handling, master control, and line monitoring --  with Schuler all of this is provided from a single source.  
For  Alcan in Dahenfeld a complete turnkey plant for the production of aluminum structural components from extruded blanks was developed and delivered.  Schuler assumed complete responsibility for planning and supplied the main portions of the production line.  This included material storage, cutting to length, the hydroforming technology, and the end processing of the parts by means of high-speed milling, washing, and heat treatment.  In addition, the hydroforming process was designed to integrate, to the extent possible, additional processing procedures such as final dimensional calibration and hole piercing by by hydroforming. 
The accompanying short demonstation video shows the fully automated production of aluminum structural parts from extruded blanks using the hydroforming method.