Formtek Metal Forming, Inc., located in Cleveland, Ohio is proud to announce a new concept within the carbon steel, small diameter tubing markets, specifically addressing the cold stretched reduced tubing market. Under the Yoder brand name, the cold stretched reduced process helps tube producers manufacture tubing that is usually used in the automotive fuel line, appliance refrigerator, and other small diameter markets. The process specifically targets tubing that is too small for high frequency induction welding (impeders are too small for that range), yet they need the speed that high frequency or square wave welding can offer to meet production requirements. Cold stretched reducing tube mills are not new, as they have been pioneered by the Yoder Company for many decades. Basically, you take a mother tube diameter that is of sufficient size for high frequency induction or square wave welding, and you cold reduce it down to sizes as small as 3/16 (4.76 mm). Wall thicknesses are approximately 0.026 to 0.028 (0.66 to 0.71 m) during the creation of the mother tube and can typically be increased or decreased slightly. Many automotive and appliance manufactures have taken advantage of the Yoder process for many years. Since acquiring Yoder in 2001, Formtek has added new innovation to the product family and one of these was to change the cold reducing process. As mentioned earlier, a mother tube is reduced to tubing of smaller diameters by multiple rolls stands that cold work the tube pass by pass. When a different diameter is required, roll passes in the reducing section are rearranged with certain sizes requiring the addition or subtraction of working passes. Even though the passes are rafted or sub-plated, a few (or sometimes several) hours would be required for a changeover. Formtek has introduced a new method so that only the final finishing pass is changed without changing the other reducing pass arrangement. Instead of switching rafts, roll passes are engaged or disengaged quickly to compensate for the various diameters. Formteks extensive knowledge of roll tooling design and manufacturing was an important factor in the success of this process change. The finishing pass is changed so that final, proper sizing is applied to produce tubing within a +/-0.003 (0.08 mm) diameter tolerance. Changeover times are reduced by 50% so that producers are up and running on the next diameter quickly. Even lower changeover times are possible if multiple finishing passes are used which essentially dedicates the tooling to the pass. Formtek Metal Forming has implemented this concept to a major Tier 1 automotive supplier with great success and now has received a second order from a overseas producer. This process has also been expanded so that the tubing manufacturer can produce tubing in the cold stretch reducing process, but can also produce tubing in the conventional mill process up to 1.000 (25.4 mm) diameters. By rafting the mother tube forming sections, rafting the reducing section and adding a cutoff, tube producers have the ultimate flexibility in offering reduced tubing or conventional tubing in a diameter range from 3/16 to 1 (4.76 to 25.4 mm). This a minimum to maximum diameter range of over 1:5 when most other tube mills are only capable of offering 1:4. This can be accomplished at processing speeds up to 600 ft/min (180 M/min) for the smallest diameter. This processing technology has been applied to larger diameter products as well. Formtek has secured orders for a reducing section to cold reduce stainless steel pipe at 1.875 (47.6 mm) diameter down to 1.720 (43.7 mm) without changing a single roll. Formtek Metal Forming invites you to bring your small diameter applications to us so that we can show you how we can help you Formtek is a group of long-established companies, each with a well-known name and a history of providing innovative and reliable equipment to the metal forming and metal processing industries. Because of the combination of these companies, including the industrys largest engineering and service staff worldwide, we are a single source provider of the best and broadest productivity solutions available. The Formtek Group includes B&K, Cooper-Weymouth, Peterson (CWP), Dahlstrom, FMI/Dahlstrom, Hill Engineering, Iowa Precision, Lockformer, Rowe, Tishken, Winpro, and Yoder. Please visit the Formtek website www.formtekgroup.com for additional information.

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