Advances in

Electroformed
Bellows

AVS 62ND International Symposium & Exhibition,

October 18-23, 2015
San Jose Convention Center, San Jose, CA USA

© 2015 NiCoForm, Inc. Rochester, NY USA www.nicoform.com.

 Introduction
Electroforming - a
fabrication technique in
which metal is
electrodeposited onto
an object (mandrel or
model), and
subsequently separated
from it, resulting in a
self-supporting,
seamless replica
Bellows Electroforming Sequence
Machine mandrel (usually out of Aluminum)
Electroform NiColoy®, Ni, Cu, etc. onto mandrel
Electrojoin flanges, fittings, etc. (optional step)
Remove (dissolve, if Al) mandrel
Test (spring rate, leak test, dimensional)
Advantages of Electroformed
Bellows
Seamless construction, tight tolerances (+/-.0025” or better)
Fast prototyping and inexpensive in production
Multi-ply and laminated designs are easy to produce
Thin (<.001”) and heavy (.010”+) walls readily formed
High corrosion resistance – ease of laminating various metals
and alloys (NiCo, Ni, NiP, Cu, Au, Ag)
Up to 10-12 cc/h He leak tightness even with thin walls
Accurate and reliable electrojoining of flanges, end plates
and fittings without exposure to high temperatures (no
welding or brazing)
 Bellows Applications
Valve stem seals
Pressure and volume compensators
Flexible vacuum connectors (tubing)
Sensors
Scroll pump housings
Flexible low windup couplings
Switches
 Electrojoining

8” OD

NiColoy® bellows with electrojoined stainless steel

flanges
Examples of Electrojoining

Electroformed NiColoy®
bellows (right) NiColoy® Diaphragm electrojoined
electrojoined to machined to Inconel components
Inconel components (left)
 ®
What is NiColoy ?
The world's first custom-
developed stress-free
electroformable Nickel-Cobalt
alloy, combining high elasticity,
tensile strength, elongation,
freedom from porosity and
corrosion resistance that match,
and in many cases exceed the
properties of stainless steel

NiColoy Stress-Strain Charts

 ®
NiColoy vs. Nickel Bellows
Better mechanical properties than Nickel bellows:
High strength - Yield Strength 110 kpsi, UTS 160 kpsi
High elasticity – Young’s Modulus 23 Mpsi
Hardness range - 20-40 Rockwell C
Seamless, stress-free construction
Electroformed net shape,
shape resulting in tighter (+/- .0025”) dimensional
tolerances and reduced cost
Customizable chemistry and wall lamination for high corrosion
resistance
Greater leak tightness than Nickel bellows - up to 10-12 cc He/sec
without a copper lamina
Accurate and reliable electrojoining of flanges and fittings without
exposure to high temperatures – no welding or brazing is required
 Metal Bellows Comparison

Electroformed Welded
Bellows Characteristics Hydroformed
NiColoy® (Diaphragm)
Seamless Construction Yes No Yes
Isotropic (Uniform) Properties Yes No Yes
Low Spring Rate Possible? Yes Medium No
Multi-Ply Construction Possible? Yes No Yes
Laminated walls possible? Yes No No
Minimum Diameter .02” (0.5mm) 1/8” (3mm) 1/4” (6mm)
Minimum Wall Thickness .0005” (5µm) .002” (50µm) .003” (75µm)
Production Setup and Prototyping Costs Low Moderate High
Time to first article Short (<1mo) Long (>1mo) Very Long
Volume Production Cost/piece Low - Moderate Moderate - High Low
© 2015 NiCoForm, Inc. Rochester, NY USA www.nicoform.com
877-NICOLOY inform@nicoform.com
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