21st Century Tool Development
Located in Steelville , Missouri , Steelville Manufacturing is a leading aerospace parts supplier specializing in milling , turning , waterjet cutting , and metal forming . Since1959 , Steelville has been using traditional forming methods to supply parts for Boeing , Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky .
They needed a modern forming solution powerful enough to provide net shape forming capability while reducing handfinishing work and facilitating quick die setup and change-over . Beckwood evaluated Steelville ’ s needs and recommended a
Triform 24-5FC fluid cell sheet hydroforming press . With a 24 ” -diameter forming area and 5000 PSI of force , the machine can accommodate a majority of Steelville ’ s parts .
Additionally , the intuitive controls offer a user-friendly interface that doesn ’ t require extensive experience to operate yet provides more flexibility than they ever dreamed possible .
“ Before the Triform , we were often forming flanges and other part geometries in a press brake ,” said Steelville Engineer Joseph Dust . “ We would also pre-form certain parts against stacked rubber with a single tool and finish them in a second operation using a traditional press with male / female tooling . With the Triform , we can bypass those processes , forming our parts more quickly and efficiently .”
“ With Triform , the time needed to complete our tools has been cut in half !”
Since the diaphragm used in Triform ’ s sheet hydroforming presses acts as a universal female die , mated tools are not required . Additionally , hydroform tooling can be made from a variety of materials including steel , aluminum , 3D printed materials , poured epoxies , and even wood . This flexibility has dramatically shortened the turnaround time for new part production while driving down Steelville ' s overall costper-part .
“ We often receive tools from OEM ’ s which were engineered for rubber pad forming or sheet hydroforming , but without those technologies available , the provided tools didn ’ t do us much good ,” said Dust . “ Now , we can accept those tools and bypass the manufacture of matched tooling .”
Within the first year of operation , Steelville transferred over 34 parts just from their press brake . They ’ ve also won several bids based on the reduced tooling expense and fast cycle times .
" We had been forming parts for years which we now know were tailor-made for the Triform ," said Dust . " The addition of the 24-5FC definitely makes forming those parts much easier , and the overall time required to complete our tools has been cut in half !"
Triform sheet hydroforming presses use a pressurized diaphragm and a single , unmated tool to form parts with multiple bends and contours quickly and efficiently .