Design and manufacture of a specialised forming machine designed to assemble components on a tube without using connectors.

Requirement / Assembly of components on tubes without the use of connectors.

Expansion of one end of a tube to allow attachments to be fitted without the use of connectors.

Solution / Specialised forming machine.

The specialised forming machine used in this application expands the tube by swaging (expandable rotating rollers) and is loaded and unloaded manually. Both clamping and transfer systems are hydraulically powered.

Performance of the specialised forming machine /

• Flaring operation done in a single pass
• Deformation control (expansion/thickness ratio)

Specialised assembly machine designed to crimp connectors at the ends of tubes.

Requirement / To strengthen the ends of tubes.

The customer wished to attach strengthening sleeves to the ends of tubes by expansion to reinforce them.

Solution / A custom crimping machine.

The assembly machine developed by Lormac allowed the parts to loaded manually or using a robot. The strengthening sleeves were press-fitted and expanded using hydraulic power. A side-punching process was applied at the end to provide extra solidity and a good finish.

The crimping machine’s performance levels /

• 6 second cycle time