Hydroforming technology for new perspectives.
Hydroforming is a technology that first came into use for volume production in the 1970s. In the beginning, hydroforming was used primarily in non-automotive applications such as the manufacture of copper fittings for the plumbing sector. At the beginning of the 1990s the automotive industry began to show increasing interest in the process. The first components were largely limited to exhaust systems. Y-sections in steel replaced the much heavier cast components. Chassis/frame components followed in the form of complex engine cradles that no longer required half-shell contruction, but could be manufactured as a single component by hydroforming. The great potential of this method as regards weight reduction and more favorable production costs (due to fewer processing steps) quickly led to wider areas of interest such as chassis and structural applications. In additon, hydroforming opened new perspectives in the manufacture of design components such as roof railings or door handles in the furniture industry. Schuler, in close collaboration with its customers, developed all these components as well as the required manufacturing systems.
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