TPT September 2012

Technology News

Gräbener Maschinentechnik offers the entire value chain

closing forces of 1,500 and 6,500 tons. Thus, Gräbener should be in possession of the world’s largest number of prototyping presses. The 1,500 and 6,500 ton presses are already booked solid. The 1,500 ton press is used continuously by customers for the prototyping and the production of parts in small and medium lot sizes. The 6,500 ton press is used throughout the entire year in order to meet the ever increasing demand for metallic separator plates for fuel cell production. The 2,500 ton hydroforming press is also used for further enhancing the open and thus highly flexible control program PressPro ® developed by Gräbener. The 10,000 ton press, which is also the hydroforming press with the world’s largest table surface (6,000 x 2,200mm), is currently being overhauled in order to be ready for prototyping purposes with multiple tools. These exceptional machine capacities enable Gräbener Maschinentechnik to offer tailor-made machine concepts to its customers: From four-column presses, frame presses, C-frame presses such as the RoboClamp ® to the PowerBoxx ® or the PowerTower ® for the production of hydroformed plates.

tailored to the component to be manufactured – a vehicle side rail. This engineering approach has always been and still is the philosophy of Gräbener Maschinentechnik. The patented Powerboxx ® with a closing force of 6,500 tons is yet another in-house development of GMT for the production of separator plates for fuel cells. With the Powerboxx ® , the closing force can be concentrated on a small surface of 300 x 200mm. In addition to this, GMT conducts feasibility studies and forming simulations. For the design and engineering of hydroforming presses and the corresponding tools, GMT applies most modern software such as CATIA V5, Inventor, mechanical desktop. The program FEM Tool Ansys is used for the FEA analysis which is an integral part of the engineering. When purchasing the former Schuler premises in Wilnsdorf (“Schuler Hydroforming”), the Graebener Group also took over three hydroforming presses. With a total of five presses available today, GMT can test innovations and in-house developments for the sector of ‘Prototyping/Small Series Production’ at short notice using its own machinery. Presses with closing forces of 400, 2,500 and 10,000 tons have been added to the already existing presses with technologies to produce tube camshafts, sway bars, drive shafts and others. High speed end forming is also used for automobile applications. High- pressure airbag vessels and shock absorbers made on GFU end forming machines can be found in millions of cars worldwide. This technology also finds a place in manufacturing flanged shafts, conveyor rollers, pressure accumulators, extinguishers and gas tanks. Applications like shock absorber tubes or high-pressure airbag vessels are manufactured with combined processes. GFU engineers find solutions

TRADITIONAL hydroforming is currently experiencing a renaissance. More and more companies rely on hydroforming technology, yet there are only a few machine builders left in this sector. In contrast to the other machine builders, Gräbener Maschinentechnik GmbH & Co KG (GMT) offers the entire value chain of hydroforming: from the customer’s general idea, the simulation, the resulting engineering and prototyping respectively small series production up to the customised press. From the very start, GMT has been designing the hydroforming presses based on and customised for the individual component of the customer. For example in 2002, the RoboClamp ® , the world’s most powerful hydroforming press with a closing force of 13,000 tons, was perfectly and completely

Gräbener Maschinentechnik GmbH – Germany Website: www.graebener-maschinentechnik.de Transforming tubes technology Tailor made machine concepts

to bring these combined processes in- line. Production plants engineered by GFU are built in modular configuration to enable customers to complete parts right up to ready machined, cleaned and measured parts. Solutions with combined GFU processes like upsetting and end forming can be found in one production line. Pyrometers and measurement units are mostly involved to create safe and stable processes.

SINCE GFU was founded in 1989, the owner-managed company has evolved into a worldwide specialist for plant technologies in transforming tubes. Engineering and manufacturing of upsetting presses, swaging presses, high speed end forming units, neck down machines, expanding and reducing machines and also forging machines belong to the current scope of delivery. OCTG industries took attention of the upsetting and swaging technologies made by GFU to manufacture tubing casings and drill pipes. Automobile industries use the GFU upsetting

GFU GmbH – Germany Email: info@gfu-forming.de Website: www.gfu-forming.de

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S eptember 2012