End Reducing
Tube end reducing is a process that reduces the outside diameter (OD) of the tube. Typically this is done so that the reduced end will fit into the inside diameter (ID) of the same tube or fit into some kind of an opening.
There are two different processes that will create a reduce tube end. Ram Forming and Segment, or Finger Segmented Reduction, and Harco offers both versions.
The Ram style of end forming is created by forcing a dedicated die over the end of the tube and then retracting the die back off the tube. The die is designed to achieve the proper OD and length of the reduction and will only create the OD the die is designed for.
Segmented tube end forming involves a series of segmented fingers that close over the OD of the tube and hydraulically reduces the tube size. The benefit of segmented reduction is that you can achieve a reduction within a range, however this style also leaves a series of ribs in the OD of the tube and is not as clean looking as the ram style.