Everything You Need To Know About Modern CNC Tube Bending
Back in the old days, technicians at metal manufacturing plants would manually bend small-diameter tubes. Such work often yielded inaccurate dimensions, bad angles, and cosmetic imperfections (such as wrinkles on the inside of the bend).
Thankfully, we’ve come a long way since these days. Now, we can bend to precise measurements with machines designed to perform the job flawlessly. These machines are called CNC tube bending machines (or CNC tube benders).
What Is A CNC Tube Bending Machine?
A CNC tube bending machine is a fully automated machine operated by a computer. It uses heavy-duty mechanical parts operated by electrical motors, or sometimes by a hydraulic system. CNC tube benders can make complex bends to a very high degree of precision that hand formed parts simply can’t match.
At Intran, we have state-of-the-art CNC tube bending machines designed to cut, bend, and form tubes between 6.35mm and 42mm in diameter and 2,000mm in length. They can meet various manufacturing needs, ranging from simple, single bends to complex bends involving spirals and multiple bending points.
Our CNC tube bending machines are designed to cut, bend, and form to precise measurements right down to the millimeter or degree. Because of that, we’re able to create accurately sized stainless steel, carbon steel, and aluminum tubing for water and fuel pumps as well as other automotive parts. We also make specialty components for the oil and gasoline industries, and more.
How Does A CNC Tube Bending Machine Work?
CNC stands for computer numerical control. A CNC tube bending machine works with a computer to control the mechanical parts and hydraulic system. The machine guarantees consistent bending and precise dimensions. It also eliminates any confusion surrounding bending techniques, each and every time.
In a CNC tube bending machine, there are five main components that play a big part in clean, precise bending:
- Bend die: A round part that determines the radius of the bend.
- Clamp die: A clamp that assists the bend die in gripping the tube as the bend die rotates.
- Wiper die: A perishable part that prevents wrinkles on the inside of the bend.
- Interlock mandrel: A perishable part that works alongside the wiper die to prevent wrinkles on the inside of the bend.
- Pressure die: A large part that applies the appropriate pressure needed to the tube in order to bend it accurately.
All of these parts work together to achieve the perfect bend according to the computer’s specs.
The Benefits Of Modern CNC Tube Bending
Tube bending technology is quickly evolving, and we’ve reached a point where CNC tube bending machines outperform manual tube bending in so many different ways. For instance, it’s:
- Fully automated
- More precise, thus more reliable, than manual bending
- Capable of enlisting the right tooling techniques every time
- It’s affordable
This video offers more explanation:
The CNC Tube Bending Machines At Intran
At Intran, we make a point to use only the best CNC tube benders that meet our stringent standards. We currently have four CNC bending machines and we will be adding more capacity in 2019.
We selected these machines specifically because:
- The bending head is small enough to create complex shapes in one cycle even for tubes that typically require two-way bending.
- They produce minimal waste.
- The high-end software is reliable and user friendly.
Because of the incredible productivity and reliability of these machines, we’re able to save time and money and pass the savings along to our customers.
Read more about our tube services here, and you can learn about end forming here.