Manufacture of Tubular Products by Hydrostatic Extrusion

Hydrostatic extrusion has been demonstrated to be a promising method for the manufacture of tubing in a variety of materials. In development studies at Battelle, the process has been used to fabricate tubes from alloy steels, hard aluminum alloys, and titanium alloys. This paper describes the equipment and techniques utilized in hydrostatic tube extrusion, and discusses how the process fits into commercial tube production operations. The potential capabilities for applying the hydrostatic extrusion process as a substitute for hot extrusion or as a substitute for conventional drawing or tube reducing of tubes produced by other means are summarized for a variety of materials.