Jones Metal Introduces New Fluid Cell Forming Capabilities

At Jones Metal Products, we’re always searching for ways to enhance both our capabilities and the quality of our output. It’s what drives us to find new ways to form and fabricate customer orders, whether it’s using traditional methods or something brand new. That is why we’re proud to announce a new capability now offered by JMP – fluid cell sheet hydroforming.

Much like hydroforming, fluid cell forming uses high pressure to form sheet metal into shapes. In our case, we are the nation’s first contract manufacturer to utilize a Quintus Technologies Flexform™ fluid cell press. Our press, the Quintus Technologies QFC 0.7×1.8-800, exerts up to 11,600 p.s.i. of pressure onto a flexible rubber diaphragm. In turn, this diaphragm forms the sheet metal to a form tool. The result is a precisely formed, complex shape with close tolerances that requires little to no manual rework.

While aerospace manufacturers have been able to take advantage of fluid cell forming for years to make their aircrafts both lighter and stronger, small-to-medium size manufacturers and shops have not. Why? Mostly it’s been due to the cost of the technology, plus the demands on floor space that come with most fluid cell presses. Our acquisition of a fluid cell press means that smaller aerospace, power generation equipment, medical equipment and commercial lighting component manufacturers will now be able to take advantage of a technology that their larger competitors have been using for years. Now, we can help our customers quickly create complex, deep-drawn shapes, shallow components and long panels, even with negative lips. Whereas customers may have been constrained to producing smaller pieces, we can now produce components up to 6 feet long, 27.5 inches wide and 8 inches deep.

Additional advantages of a fluid cell press include fast prototyping, short lead times and lower tooling costs. There is also minimal surface abrasion, since a rubber diaphragm is used to form parts, which means less downstream assembly and revision work. A fluid cell press also enables the formation of thinner components and lower product weights, without major sacrifices to strength or rigidity.

If you would like to learn how our new fluid cell forming capabilities can help your organization realize faster and more accurate component production, contact us at Jones Metal Products today.