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Dana's Robo-Clamp Sets New Standard for Hydroforming    

7 March 2000

Dana's Robo-Clamp Sets New Standard for Hydroforming    

    TOLEDO, Ohio, March 6 Dana Corporation has
developed its own unique hydroform press, which gives the company and its OEM
customers a competitive advantage in the design, engineering, and
manufacturing of structural products.
    (Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990903/DANA )
    The new hydroform press, dubbed "Robo-Clamp(TM)," has many advantages over
other hydroform presses, enabling the company to successfully produce
previously unmanufacturable designs.  Robo-Clamp produces the longest
siderails, exerts twice the pressure of a typical hydroform press, and was
designed specifically for Dana's multi-pressure hydroforming process.  The
result is lighter, stronger structural products, and new opportunities to
develop further innovations in structural design and engineering.
    Dana's Parish Structural Products Division developed Robo-Clamp when it
could not find one with all the desired capabilities.  Robo-Clamp uses 10,000
metric tons of pressure to shape metal tubes, compared to most hydroform
presses that exert 5,000 metric tons.  Robo-Clamp also allows Dana to utilize
its proprietary multi-pressure hydroforming process on a variety of structural
products, including long side rails.
    Dana's hydroforming process is a 1999 PACE award nominee.  The process was
used with traditional hydroform presses at Dana's St. Marys, Ontario, facility
to create a new engine cradle for the 1999 Ford Windstar.  Hydroforming the
engine cradle reduced component welds by 50 percent and component complexity
by 30 percent compared to traditional stamped designs.
    "Dana's hydroforming offers a number of advantages for our customers,"
said Mike Greene, president of Structural Products.  "In most cases, a single
hydroformed part can be used to replace several stampings.  The process also
reduces weight, lowers manufacturing and maintenance costs, and optimizes
strength and efficiency."
    Dana has a working Robo-Clamp at its Reading, Pa., facility, and plans to
build nearly a dozen others by 2003 for use in its structural facilities
around the world.
    Hydroforming, combined with other Dana enabling technologies, such as
magnetic-pulse welding, gives Dana an edge in providing new innovations for
customers.  One example is the space frame, a series of structural members
assembled to create a skeletal system that supports the interior systems as
well as the exterior skin and driveline components of a vehicle.
    Dana's Automotive Systems Group provides under-the-vehicle products and
integrated modules and systems to customers anywhere in the world.  The
Automotive Systems Group consists of Spicer(R) axle products, Spicer(R)
driveshaft products, Parish(R) structural products, FTE(R) Automotive brake
and clutch systems, and a systems engineering integration and logistics unit.
    Dana Corporation is one of the world's largest independent suppliers to
vehicle manufacturers and the aftermarket.  Founded in 1904 and based in
Toledo, Ohio, the company operates some 320 major facilities in 33 countries
and employs more than 82,000 people.  The company reported sales of
$13.2 billion in 1999.  Dana's Internet address is http://www.dana.com .