Page 8 - Layout 1

METAL BELLOWS...

An enabling technology for a

wide range of applications

For those engineers familiar with the traditional electroforming process, Abssac is
offering a way of looking at a combination of complexity of shape, wall thickness

tolerance, integral strength and capability
he versatile metal bellows play an
essential role in controlling pressure,
vacuum and motion, in a broad array of
Tmachine components and assemblies
across numerous industry sectors. Metal bellows
are flexible, spring-like, precision engineered
components that are typically custom designed to
perform a variety of engineering purposes. They can
also be used in flexible electronic contact
applications.
Specifically, precision-engineered metal bellows fabricated as part of a sealed, leak-tight assembly,
convert pressure, mechanical, vacuum and with appropriate ends to allow connection within
temperature changes into linear or rotational the equipment itself.
motion. While the metal bellows itself is typically In many engineering applications, the bellows
just one small part of the overall machine assembly, functions like a spring. But when it is filled with a
it plays a critical role in the overall functionality of pressurized liquid or gas, or subject to vacuum
the system. conditions, the bellows will be extremely sensitive
Today’s advanced manufacturing techniques to a variety of forces (such as pressure or
allow metal bellows to be precision engineered and temperature change) impacting the hydraulic fluid
manufactured with extremely small dimensions. For or gas sealed inside or outside the bellows. Since
example, metal bellows can be manufactured with the coefficient of expansion of the fluid or gas is
diameters ranging from 0.51mm to 228.6mm., known, the bellows is designed to provide a
walls as thin as 0.0051mm, and spring rates that predictable, dynamic mechanical response in
can be controlled to ±10%. response to these forces.
A metal bellows has the physical form of a Typically, the compression and extension of the
flexible, lightweight, spring-like accordion (with the spring-like bellows provides a predictable, dynamic
appearance of ribbed or corrugated tubing). In both linear response along its long axis (axial stroke
vacuum and pressure applications, bellows are motion), thus performing some engineering function

July 2020 • INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY EXTRA! • p8