Comprehensive Analysis Of Curved Surface Forming Technology: Core Processes And Application Fields
Release time：2025-11-02
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Curved surface forming technology is a core method in the manufacturing industry for producing non - planar complex curved surface parts. It features high precision and high efficiency and is widely used in fields such as aerospace, automobile manufacturing, and consumer electronics. The following will elaborate on the technical principles and applicable scenarios of five mainstream curved surface forming processes.
I. Curved Surface Printing Process
Curved surface printing is a key technology for achieving decoration and marking on the surface of plastic or metal curved objects. Its core processes include:
1. Degreasing Treatment: Use organic solvents to clean contaminants such as mold release agents and greases remaining on the surface of the workpiece, ensuring the cleanliness of the substrate. If there is oil on the surface, it may lead to a decrease in ink adhesion or cracking.
2. Surface Pretreatment: Improve the surface wettability of the material through chemical or physical methods to enhance the bonding force between the ink and the substrate. For example, perform plasma treatment on some plastics to improve their ink affinity.
3. Ink Transfer: Use a flexible silicone head to dip ink from the intaglio and precisely emboss it onto the curved workpiece. The doctor blade needs to precisely control the amount of ink to avoid over - or under - application.
4. Curing Treatment: Use ultraviolet irradiation or heat treatment to quickly cure the ink and form a wear - resistant and weather - resistant graphic layer.
This technology is suitable for fine curved surface printing of mobile phone shells, automobile buttons, etc., especially meeting the production needs of small - batch and multi - variety products.
II. Hydroforming Technology
Hydroforming uses the high pressure of a liquid medium to replace traditional molds and pushes the metal sheet to fit the mold cavity to form complex curved surfaces. Its advantages include:
- Wide Material Adaptability: It can process difficult - to - deform materials such as aluminum alloys and titanium alloys.
- High Cost - Effectiveness: Without the need for complex molds, it is suitable for the production of special - shaped parts and small - to - medium - batch production.
Typical applications include the forming of thin - walled pipe fittings such as aircraft fuel pipes and automobile exhaust manifolds.
III. Flexible Rolling Forming Technology
This technology combines traditional rolling with flexible roll control to achieve continuous forming of three - dimensional curved surfaces. Its main features are:
- High Efficiency and Flexibility: By adjusting the shape of the rolls, the processing of sheets with different curvatures can be quickly switched.
- Controllable Precision: It is suitable for the manufacturing of large - scale components such as ship curved shells and building curved curtain walls.
IV. Spinning Forming Technology
Spinning uses the cooperation between the rotating workpiece and the pressure tool to cause local plastic deformation of the metal sheet. The new - generation high - efficiency spinning technology adopts a multi - axis flexible roll system with remarkable advantages:
- Lightweight Production: It can manufacture high - strength thin - walled rotary parts, such as rocket engine casings.
- Energy Saving and Consumption Reduction: Compared with cutting processing, the material utilization rate is increased by more than 30%.
V. Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) of Curved Surfaces
Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) uses the principle of discharge etching to process fine and complex curved surfaces that are difficult to achieve by traditional cutting. The technological highlights are:
- Non - Contact Processing: It has excellent processing capabilities for materials such as cemented carbide and quenched steel.
- Micron - Level Precision: It supports the manufacturing of ultra - precise curved surfaces such as medical precision parts and mold cavities.
Application Scenarios and Selection Suggestions
1. Consumer Electronics Field: Prioritize curved surface printing for appearance decoration or EDM for micro - structure processing.
2. Automobile Industry: Hydroforming is suitable for body frames, and flexible rolling is suitable for the manufacturing of curved roofs.
3. Aerospace: Combining spinning technology with EDM can meet the high - performance requirements of superalloy components.
When selecting a technology, comprehensive consideration should be given to material properties, batch size, and precision requirements. With the development of intelligent manufacturing, the above - mentioned processes are being integrated with 3D printing and numerical control technology, promoting the iterative upgrading of curved surface forming towards higher efficiency and lower cost.
