Net-shaped duct forming apparatus

A duct-forming apparatus, comprising:

• an apparatus frame having a frame interior;
• a forming piston assembly having a cylinder carried by said apparatus frame and a forming piston extendable from said cylinder into said frame interior;
• and
• a duct-shaping assembly provided in said frame interior of said apparatus frame and comprising:
• a form die having a form die interior and a forming surface provided in said form die interior;
• a forming assembly having a plurality of expandable forming sections provided in said form die adjacent to said forming surface;
• and
• a plurality of piston openings provided in said expandable forming sections, respectively, and adapted to receive said forming piston of said forming piston assembly.

A duct-forming apparatus for an aircraft part, comprising:

• a support frame;
• an apparatus frame having a frame base, a plurality of spaced-apart vertical frame members extending from said frame base, a plurality of horizontal frame members carried by said vertical frame members and a frame interior defined by said frame base, said vertical frame members and said horizontal frame members;
• a traversing platform having a generally elongated platform base extending through said frame interior of said apparatus frame and a support platform slidably carried by said platform base;
• a forming piston assembly having a cylinder carried by said horizontal frame members of said apparatus frame and a forming piston extendable from said cylinder into said frame interior;
• and
• a duct-shaping assembly provided in said frame interior of said apparatus frame and comprising:
• a generally cylindrical form die having a form die interior and a forming surface provided in said form die interior;
• a forming assembly having a plurality of expandable forming sections provided in said form die adjacent to said forming surface;
• and
• a plurality of piston openings provided in said expandable forming sections, respectively, and adapted to receive said forming piston of said forming piston assembly.