A balanced panel punch drive system. The system includes a main hydraulic drive including an outer casing forming an internal housing and a main piston slidably disposed within the internal housing. A main fluid chamber, a first output chamber and a second output chamber are formed within the internal housing. A pump is fluidly connected to the main fluid chamber by an input line. A first die hydraulic cylinder and a second die hydraulic cylinder each have an outer casing forming an internal housing and a die piston slidably disposed within the internal housing. An opening is formed through an end of the outer casing sized to receive a distal end of the die piston therethrough. A first output line fluidly connects the first output chamber to the first die hydraulic cylinder and a second output line fluidly connects the second output chamber to the second die hydraulic cylinder.

An electrohydraulic forming device comprising includes a tank having a tank inner wall and inside of which are positioned a mold, a first electrode, and a second electrode. A free first reflector is placed in the tank and surrounds the mold, the first electrode, and the second electrode.

A hot blow forming method for the aluminum alloy sheet carries out a hot blow forming to an aluminum alloy sheet using a first metal mold being a female mold for forming having a protruding surface portion on an inside surface thereof and a second metal mold for gas introduction. Immediately prior to the hot blow forming, a temperature (T1) of the aluminum alloy sheet and a temperature (T2) of the first metal mold satisfy a relation (T1)−(T2)≧30° C. and the temperature (T2) is equal to or higher than 400° C. In the hot blow forming, the aluminum alloy sheet is made to be brought into contact with at least a part of the protruding surface portion of the first metal mold within 30 seconds from a start of the gas introduction from the second metal mold.

A component forming tool for forming a component from a blank includes a die forming shell for forming the component from the blank. A first shell portion of the die forming shell is located on a first set of support elements and a second shell portion is located on a second set of support elements. The tool includes at least one induction heating coil for induction heating of a workpiece disposed within a cavity formed by the first and second shell portions. The first set of support elements include multi-material support elements having at least two layers of different materials and the second set of support elements include multi-material support elements having at least two layers of different materials.

A component forming tool for forming a component from a blank includes a die forming shell for forming the component from the blank. A first shell portion of the die forming shell is located on a first set of support elements and a second shell portion is located on a second set of support elements. The tool includes at least one induction heating coil for induction heating of a workpiece disposed within a cavity formed by the first and second shell portions. The first set of support elements include multi-material support elements having at least two layers of different materials and the second set of support elements include multi-material support elements having at least two layers of different materials.

A method of producing an integrated monolithic aluminum structure, the method includes the steps of: (a) providing an aluminum alloy plate with a predetermined thickness of at least 38.1 mm, wherein the aluminum alloy plate is a 7xxx-series alloy provided in an F-temper or an O-temper; (b) optionally pre-machining of the aluminum alloy plate to an intermediate machined structure; (c) high-energy hydroforming of the plate or optional intermediate machined structure against a forming surface of a rigid die having a contour in accordance with a desired curvature of the integrated monolithic aluminum structure, the high-energy hydroforming causing the plate or the intermediate machined structure to conform to the contour of the forming surface to at least one of a uniaxial curvature and a biaxial curvature; (d) solution heat-treating and cooling of the high-energy hydroformed structure; (e) machining and (f) ageing of the final integrated monolithic aluminum structure.

A method of producing an integrated monolithic aluminum structure, the method including the steps of: (a) providing an aluminum alloy plate with a predetermined thickness of at least 3 mm, wherein the aluminum alloy plate is a 2xxx-series alloy provided in an F-temper or an O-temper; (b) optionally pre-machining of the aluminum alloy plate to an intermediate machined structure; (c) high-energy hydroforming of the plate or optional intermediate machined structure against a forming surface of a rigid die having a contour in accordance with a desired curvature of the integrated monolithic aluminum structure, the high-energy hydroforming causing the plate or the intermediate machined structure to conform to the contour of the forming surface to at least one of a uniaxial curvature and a biaxial curvature; (d) solution heat-treating and cooling of the high-energy hydroformed structure; (e) machining and (f) ageing of the final integrated monolithic aluminum structure.

A method of producing an integrated monolithic aluminum structure, the method including the steps of: (a) providing an aluminum alloy plate with a predetermined thickness of at least 3 mm, wherein the aluminum alloy plate is a 2xxx-series alloy provided in an F-temper or an O-temper; (b) optionally pre-machining of the aluminum alloy plate to an intermediate machined structure; (c) high-energy hydroforming of the plate or optional intermediate machined structure against a forming surface of a rigid die having a contour in accordance with a desired curvature of the integrated monolithic aluminum structure, the high-energy hydroforming causing the plate or the intermediate machined structure to conform to the contour of the forming surface to at least one of a uniaxial curvature and a biaxial curvature; (d) solution heat-treating and cooling of the high-energy hydroformed structure; (e) machining and (f) ageing of the final integrated monolithic aluminum structure.

The present invention discloses a method and system for controlling axial length of an ellipsoidal shell based on liquid volume loading. The method includes: determining the volume calculation models of an unformed prefabricated shell and a formed ellipsoidal shell; determining a calculation model of a volume difference between the unformed prefabricated shell and the formed ellipsoidal shell; determining a structure size of the unformed prefabricated shell according to a target axial length of the formed ellipsoidal shell; obtaining the volume difference between the formed ellipsoidal shell and the unformed prefabricated shell, and recording the volume difference as a target volume; injecting liquid into the unformed prefabricated shell with target volume to obtain the formed ellipsoidal shell. The forming process in the present invention is simple and easy to implement without considering differences in materials and wall thicknesses and can control and adjust the axial length dimension accuracy of a shell.

The present invention discloses a method and system for controlling axial length of an ellipsoidal shell based on liquid volume loading. The method includes: determining the volume calculation models of an unformed prefabricated shell and a formed ellipsoidal shell; determining a calculation model of a volume difference between the unformed prefabricated shell and the formed ellipsoidal shell; determining a structure size of the unformed prefabricated shell according to a target axial length of the formed ellipsoidal shell; obtaining the volume difference between the formed ellipsoidal shell and the unformed prefabricated shell, and recording the volume difference as a target volume; injecting liquid into the unformed prefabricated shell with target volume to obtain the formed ellipsoidal shell. The forming process in the present invention is simple and easy to implement without considering differences in materials and wall thicknesses and can control and adjust the axial length dimension accuracy of a shell.