OUTLINE

Introduction to Flow forming

Elements of Flow forming
Design of Mandrel
Design of Roller
Design of Preform
Lubricants
Principle of Flow forming
Conclusion

FLOW
FLOW FORMING
FORMING

Cold
Forming
Process
machining technique

&

Chipless

Material is deformed to desired size in

Cold condition by a rotating mandrel and
set of Rollers

Thin walled
Progressive
deformation

Tubes are produced by

continuous
localised

FLOW
FLOW FORMING
FORMING
SIGNIFICANT
SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGES
ADVANTAGES

Very little wastage of materials (chip less)

Excellent surface finish
Lower tooling costs
Low production cost
Production of high precision thin walled seamless
tubes

Improved mechanical properties

FORWARD
FORWARD FLOW
FLOW FORMING
FORMING PROCESS
PROCESS
The metal flows ahead of the roller in the
same direction as the roller feed, i.e. towards
the head stock of the machine

Roller feed

Material Flow

REVERSE
REVERSE FLOW
FLOW FORMING
FORMING PROCESS
PROCESS
The metal is extruded beneath the roller in
the direction opposite to the roller feed
Material Flow

Roller feed

ELEMENTS
ELEMENTS OF
OF FLOW
FLOW FORMING
FORMING
1. Flow Forming Machine
2. Suitable
Mandrel
configuration

for

component

3. Set of three Rollers with appropriate Design

4. Pre-form Design
5. Lubricants

FLOW
FLOW FORMING
FORMING MACHINE
MACHINE

MACHINE
MACHINE SPECIFICATIONS
SPECIFICATIONS

LEIFIELD U.Co. West Germany

Machine Model
Length of the Bed

ST 56-90 CNC
8500 mm

Max. Work Piece Dia.

560 mm

Min. Work Piece Dia.

30 mm

Max. Work Piece Length

that can be Flow Formed.
Initial Wall Thickness of Preform
Steel
Aluminum

2000 mm
16mm
25 mm

Load Applied to Rollers

Axial Direction
Radial Direction

15 tons
20 tons

Total Connected Load of Machine

373 KVA

FLOW FORMING MANDREL

FLOW FORMING ROLLERS

FLOW
FLOW FORMING
FORMING MANDREL
MANDREL
FLANGE
DRIVE RING
GROUND &
POLISHED
N4

SERRATIONS

SPINDLE

MANDREL

MATERIAL: HIGH CARBON HIGH CHROMINUM

(HCHC) HRC 58-60

FLOW
FLOW FORMING
FORMING ROLLER
ROLLER

3.
3. FLOW
FLOW FORMING
FORMING ROLLER
ROLLER

GROUND &
POLISHED

N4

N4

Y0

MATERIAL : High Speed Steel (HSS)

HRC 60-65
DIAMETER : Dia. 260 mm

RADIUS[R]

: 1R - 15R

ENTRY ANGLE [X]

: 15O 30O

EXIT ANGLE [Y]

: 1O - 10O

4.
4. PRE-FORM
PRE-FORM DESIGN
DESIGN

VOLUME OF
OF PRE-FORM
PRE-FORM
VOLUME
=
=
VOLUME OF
OF FINAL
FINAL COMPONENT
COMPONENT +
+ TRIMMING
TRIMMING ALLOWANCE
ALLOWANCE
VOLUME

FINAL COMPONENT
FIRST STAGE

PRE-FORM

LUBRICANTS
LUBRICANTS

MOLYCOAT PASTE ON THE MANDREL TO AVOID

COLD WELDING

SOLUBLE OIL MIXED WITH WATER AS COOLAN

PARAMETERS
PARAMETERS THAT
THAT INFLUENCE
INFLUENCE THE
THE FLOW
FLOW FORMING
FORMING PROCESS
PROCESS

Material
Material

Roller
Roller
Geometry
Geometry

Stagger
Stagger

Homogenous
Homogenous

Preferably
Preferably Electro
Electro Slag
Slag Refined
Refined
(ESR)
(ESR)

Free
Free from
from hard
hard spots
spots

No
No variation
variation in
in hardness
hardness

Entry
Entry Angle
Angle

Radius
Radius

Exit
Exit Angle
Angle

Related
Related to
to reduction
reduction in
in thickness
thickness

Helps
Helps In
In achieving
achieving the
the geometrical
geometrical
parameters
parameters

PARAMETERS
PARAMETERS THAT
THAT INFLUENCE
INFLUENCE THE
THE FLOW
FLOW FORMING
FORMING PROCESS
PROCESS

Speed
Speed

Feed
Feed

%
% Reduction
Reduction

Improves
Improves the
the finish
finish

Circumferential
Chances
Chances of
of
Circumferential
opening
opening

Low
Low feed
feed good
good surface
surface finish,
finish, more
more
cycle
cycle time
time

not
optimum,
Geometric
When
When
not
optimum,
Geometric
parameters
parameters cannot
cannot be
be maintained
maintained

With
With less
less reduction
reduction non-uniform
non-uniform
deformation
deformation causes
causes cracks
cracks

MATERIALS
MATERIALS THAT
THAT ARE
ARE FLOW
FLOW FORMED
FORMED

Aluminum Alloys

HE15, HF30

Copper with 99.99% purity

Alloy Steel

Maraging Steel MDN 250, MDN 350

Stainless Steel

SAE 4130

TRISHUL
TRISHUL ROCKET
ROCKET MOTOR
MOTOR TUBE
TUBE
PRE-FORM

FIRST PASS
MATERIAL:
MDN 250
(Maraging Steel)
Hardness 350 BHN
Ni
Co
Mo
Ti
Al
C
Si
Mn

17.0-19.0
7.0 -8.5
4.6-5.2
0.3-0.6
0.O5-0.15
0.03 max
0.1 max
0.1 max

SECOND PASS

FINAL PASS

FORWARD FLOW FORMING

TRISHUL
TRISHUL ROCKET
ROCKET MOTOR
MOTOR TUBE
TUBE
PRE-FORM

FIRST PASS

MATERIAL:
MDN 250
(Maraging Steel)
Hardness 350 BHN
Ni
Co
Mo
Ti
Al
C
Si
Mn

SECOND PASS

FINAL PASS

FORWARD FLOW FORMING

17.0-19.0
7.0 -8.5
4.6-5.2
0.3-0.6
0.O5-0.15
0.03 max
0.1 max
0.1 max

PINAKA
PINAKA ROCKET
ROCKET MOTOR
MOTOR TUBE
TUBE
PREFORM

PRE-FORM

HARDNESS
TENSILE STRENGTH

180-200 BHN

360-400 B

70 Kg/mm2

120 Kg/mm

% Elongation

FIRST PASS

FINAL

14

Pressure Test Carried Out at

Burst Pressure

150 Kg/cm
250 Kg/cm2

SECOND PASS

MATERIAL:
SAE 4130
(Electro Slag Refined Grad

FINAL PASS

REVERSE FLOW FORMING

C
Cr
Mo
Mn
Si

0.28-0.33
0.8-1.10
0.15-0.25
0.4-0.6
0.15-0.30

PRINCIPLE
PRINCIPLE OF
OF FLOW
FLOW TURNING
TURNING
Initial Blank Thickness

Final Thickness

Chip less Metal

Forming Technique
Production of Hollow
Component With
Conical, Convex,
Concave Contours
Deliberate Controlled
Reduction in Wall
Thickness With Regard
to Initial Blank

Final wall thickness =

Initial blank thickness x
Sin
Where = Semi angle of

CONCLUSION
The finishing roller radius should be lower than other

two rollers to have uniform mean diameter and

reduction in ovality.
The hardness variation in pre-form should be
minimized (5 to 10 BHN) to avoid thickness variation
and ovality.
Though reduction in feed rate improves surface finish,
but its effect is there on ovality and mean diameter.
The staggering of the rollers should be kept in such a
way that there is a minimum of thickness of preforms
tube.