Top Benefits Of Owning A FormBalancer Metal Forming Machine
If you’re in the metal forming business, the odds are pretty good that the machines on your shop floor are aging. Metal forming technology has made incredible advancements over the past few years, so it may be time to consider upgrading your equipment. Check out these unexpected benefits of owning a FluidForming FormBalancer metal forming machine!
Precision
If you specialize in prototyping, low- to medium-volume production or if unparalleled precision matters to you and your clients, then you’ll want to take a closer look at FluidForming FormBalancer presses.
FormBalancers are bladder-free hydroforming presses that achieve the highest forming pressures of any metal forming machine available for purchase. FormBalacers are force-contained presses that form with pressures up to 60,000 psi.
So that part you thought you couldn’t form? You can. FluidForming — and the FormBalancer press — enables the formation of complex parts with intricate geometries and tight radii.
Accuracy & Repeatability
The FormBalancer’s higher forming pressures also result in 99.996% accuracy and repeatability rates.
Low Tooling Costs
High tooling costs add up and cut into your bottom line. FormBalancers typically require just a single die from prototyping through production and can lower tooling costs by up 88% (see our Case Study video for more detail). The presses also accommodate 3D-printed tools and are compatible with nested tooling.
Deep Drawing Capabilities
Bladderless hydroforming methods are the way to go when you’re forming textured and non-standard deep drawing shapes like stepped, domed, or tapered parts. FormBalancers also do a better job maintaining a constant material thickness, even over a tight die corner radius where other methods experience significant thinning.
Logos, lettering, and integrated branding can be accommodated.
High Finish Quality & Low Post-Production Costs
If you’re manufacturing parts or components from pre-painted, textured, materials, FormBalancer bladderless hydroforming presses produce nearly flawless products that require minimal post-production fixturing. Which lowers costs and speeds up time-to-market.
Flexibility
FluidForming’s FormBalancer hydroforming presses are the only precision metal forming machines on the market capable of bladderless sheet metal forming, deep draw hydroforming, and tube forming. In instances where bladder-based or hydraulic hydroforming would work best, the machines can also be configured to accommodate a bladder.
Material Compatibility
The FluidForming process and FormBalancer presses accommodate superalloys. Even aluminum alloys, which are notoriously prone to wrinkling and fracturing under stress, perform well with the FluidForming technology and FormBalancer presses.
Big Benefits, Little Footprint
Force-contained, bladderless FormBlancer presses do not require additional footings or reinforcement. Compact, modular press design allows for flexible floor placement. Multiple machine and table sizes — which range from 800 mm x 800 mm to 1,300 mm x 2,000 mm — can accommodate a variety of jobs.
Sustainability
For a sustainable metal forming equipment option with low operating costs, consider a 480V FormBalancer press. The presses rely on water as the forming force and draws just 90-200 kW of power, depending on machine size.
Qualifies For The R&D Tax Credit
Exciting news! The Research & Development Tax Credit is available to companies developing new or improved business components. This includes new products or processes — like a new FormBalancer metal forming machine.
Upgrading your metal forming equipment? To learn more about buying a metal forming machine for your facility, contact FluidForming Americas at (800) 497-3545 or email us at info@ffamericas.com.