A hollow preform impact extruded from a metal billet to produce a progressing wall at a transition wall thickness. An axially forward portion of the progressing wall is ironed by extrusion past an extrusion point to form a sidewall portion of a lesser thickness. Extruding is stopped while some of the billet remains to form the closed bottom end. The preform has a bottom portion, a sidewall portion and a transition wall portion extending between the bottom portion and the sidewall portion. The transition wall portion is thicker than the sidewall portion and can be formed into at least part of the rim of an expansion shaped container. An impact extrusion punch has a central axis, an axially forward, impact surface for impacting metal to be extruded, a transition region for directing material displaced by the impact surface and a rear extrusion point for ironing material extruded past the transition region.

A hollow preform impact extruded from a metal billet to produce a progressing wall at a transition wall thickness. An axially forward portion of the progressing wall is ironed by extrusion past an extrusion point to form a sidewall portion of a lesser thickness. Extruding is stopped while some of the billet remains to form the closed bottom end. The preform has a bottom portion, a sidewall portion and a transition wall portion extending between the bottom portion and the sidewall portion. The transition wall portion is thicker than the sidewall portion and can be formed into at least part of the rim of an expansion shaped container. An impact extrusion punch has a central axis, an axially forward, impact surface for impacting metal to be extruded, a transition region for directing material displaced by the impact surface and a rear extrusion point for ironing material extruded past the transition region.

A method and device for manufacturing a large-sized thin-walled tubular part by gas-liquid internal high pressure forming (IHPF). A gas and a liquid are filled at a certain volume ratio into a thin-walled blank. The pressure of the gas-liquid mixed fluid is mainly determined by the gas pressure. During the deformation of the thin-walled blank, due to a large compression ratio of the gas, the gas-liquid pressure will not basically change with the change of the volume of a blank cavity. A support pressure on the cavity of the thin-walled blank is stable in the entire forming process. In addition, even if there is a slight leakage of the liquid or gas during the forming process, the medium pressure inside the blank will not fluctuate largely. In this way, embodiments lower the requirements for the sealing effect during the tubular part forming process.

A method and device for manufacturing a large-sized thin-walled tubular part by gas-liquid internal high pressure forming (IHPF). A gas and a liquid are filled at a certain volume ratio into a thin-walled blank. The pressure of the gas-liquid mixed fluid is mainly determined by the gas pressure. During the deformation of the thin-walled blank, due to a large compression ratio of the gas, the gas-liquid pressure will not basically change with the change of the volume of a blank cavity. A support pressure on the cavity of the thin-walled blank is stable in the entire forming process. In addition, even if there is a slight leakage of the liquid or gas during the forming process, the medium pressure inside the blank will not fluctuate largely. In this way, embodiments lower the requirements for the sealing effect during the tubular part forming process.

The present invention discloses a method for manufacturing a thin-walled metal component by three-dimensional (3D) printing and hot gas bulging. The present invention uses 3D printing to obtain a complex thin-walled preform, which reduces a deformation during subsequent hot gas bulging. The present invention avoids local bulging thinning and cracking, undercuts at the parting during die closing, and wrinkles due to the uneven distribution of cross-sectional materials, etc. The present invention obtains a high accuracy in the form and dimension through hot gas bulging. After a desired shape is obtained by hot gas bulging, a die is closed to keep the component under high temperature and high pressure for a period of time, so that a grain and a phase of the material are transformed to form a desired microstructure.

The present invention discloses a method for manufacturing a thin-walled metal component by three-dimensional (3D) printing and hot gas bulging. The present invention uses 3D printing to obtain a complex thin-walled preform, which reduces a deformation during subsequent hot gas bulging. The present invention avoids local bulging thinning and cracking, undercuts at the parting during die closing, and wrinkles due to the uneven distribution of cross-sectional materials, etc. The present invention obtains a high accuracy in the form and dimension through hot gas bulging. After a desired shape is obtained by hot gas bulging, a die is closed to keep the component under high temperature and high pressure for a period of time, so that a grain and a phase of the material are transformed to form a desired microstructure.

A method is disclosed for pressure forming a metal preform including shock annealing of the preform and subsequently preheating the preform prior to pressure forming. Shock annealing may be carried out as differential shock annealing in which different regions of the preform are annealed to different degrees. Preheating may be carried out by differentially preheating, optionally shock preheating, different regions of the preform for preheating at least those regions of the preform which will be subject to elevated expansion during pressure forming. Shock annealing by induction heating can lower energy consumption, reduce processing times and allow for larger expansion of the preform.

A method is disclosed for pressure forming a metal preform including shock annealing of the preform and subsequently preheating the preform prior to pressure forming. Shock annealing may be carried out as differential shock annealing in which different regions of the preform are annealed to different degrees. Preheating may be carried out by differentially preheating, optionally shock preheating, different regions of the preform for preheating at least those regions of the preform which will be subject to elevated expansion during pressure forming. Shock annealing by induction heating can lower energy consumption, reduce processing times and allow for larger expansion of the preform.

The present invention discloses a method for manufacturing a thin-walled metal component by three-dimensional (3D) printing and hot gas bulging. The present invention uses 3D printing to obtain a complex thin-walled preform, which reduces a deformation during subsequent hot gas bulging. The present invention avoids local bulging thinning and cracking, undercuts at the parting during die closing, and wrinkles due to the uneven distribution of cross-sectional materials, etc. The present invention obtains a high accuracy in the form and dimension through hot gas bulging. After a desired shape is obtained by hot gas bulging, a die is closed to keep the component under high temperature and high pressure for a period of time, so that a grain and a phase of the material are transformed to form a desired microstructure.

The present invention discloses a method for manufacturing a thin-walled metal component by three-dimensional (3D) printing and hot gas bulging. The present invention uses 3D printing to obtain a complex thin-walled preform, which reduces a deformation during subsequent hot gas bulging. The present invention avoids local bulging thinning and cracking, undercuts at the parting during die closing, and wrinkles due to the uneven distribution of cross-sectional materials, etc. The present invention obtains a high accuracy in the form and dimension through hot gas bulging. After a desired shape is obtained by hot gas bulging, a die is closed to keep the component under high temperature and high pressure for a period of time, so that a grain and a phase of the material are transformed to form a desired microstructure.