Tube Forming Tool Design
Making a consistent tube end form to spec is our first priority when developing a tool for our customers. Our tool development starts with our in-house mechanical engineering team designing a solution to best manufacture a part. Our engineering team has over 50 years of tube forming experience and we use that knowledge to make your process as efficient as possible. Our team uses the latest version of SolidWorks to design tooling and many times before releasing the tool to be manufactured, we offer design reviews so our customers fully understand how the tool will function.
Tool Testing
Once the design is complete, Proto-1 has an in-house machine shop to manufacture the tool. This helps us control our lead times so we can assemble and test quicker. Once the manufacturing of the tool is complete, our mechanical assembly staff will assemble the tool and get it ready for testing. Each tool that is designed and made at Proto-1 is tested before being shipped. Whether it is a Ram or Rotary tube end form, Proto-1 has the means to test the tool internally. Tool development can be as quick as one day or can take up to a few weeks depending on the complexity of the form. Having in-house engineering and machine shop support allows us to develop tools faster. Having the means in-house to make any design modifications allows us to be more proactive for our customers.
During development it is critical that we test the tool with production tubing so we can simulate the production process. Different grades of materials/tubes can cause different results when running a tool. Once we have successfully run parts, our quality department uses a Faro Arm to scan the tube and overlay it with the model to ensure all critical tolerances and profiles are being met. Once the part passes our inspection, our tool technicians will optimize the cycle time and check repeatability for our customers.
Once the cycle time is optimized, all the settings our technicians were running on the machine are documented and provided to our customer. This way once our customer receives the tool, they will know what settings to run the machine at. This allows all of customers to get their new tool up and running faster. We electronically store all the data related to a tool and keep a history for any future references. Our goal at Proto-1 is to make the tool buying experience as easy as possibly to best serve our customers!
For your next tube end forming project, make sure to reach out to our team today to see how we can improve on your current processes.
Sales@proto1mfg.com | 920-582-4491
