TPT September 2007

Technology Update

Advanced family of CNC tube benders

Numalliance, France, offers impressive CNC tube bending versatility and creativity with its new line of CNC tube benders, branded Numatube. The Numatube 80 is the first model of a line for 25-150mm tube diameter. In its basic configuration, the Numatube 80 offers 11 axis and all automatic adjustments. The machine is completely electric because clamping on the mobile chariot is a numeric axis.

The main innovation lies in the bending head, which is without a traditional arm and therefore does not have any of the usual drawbacks. The conception of the bending head comes from a system with 4 interpolated rotary axes. It has been previously developed in the FX line of CNC wire benders. This technology is accompanied by Numalliance’s own high performance, proprietary software ensuring constant evolution. With this new bending head working by interpolation, the Numatube 80 is capable of achieving a higher speed of at least 30 per cent compared to existing tube benders. However, speed is of no use without the rigidity to exploit it. Therefore, Numalliance has created a bending head with extreme rigidity to ensure very high acceleration and speed. In addition to speed and rigidity, Numalliance has also worked on increasing the productivity of this machine by eliminating all sensors and chains. The machine has a perfect balance of the frame, minimum

maintenance, internet monitoring option, and clockwise and counter-clockwise rotation of bending. In the basic version, the Numatube 80 requires less than 30 minutes to change rotation from clockwise to counter- clockwise. The machine can bend both ways automatically if the bending does not require any markings eraser. › With a fast and rigid bending head, the machine enables clockwise and counter-clockwise rotation of bending

fi The Numatube 80 is designed for 25-150mm tube diameters

Quick change cut-off blades and jaw systems

New-Form Tools, Canada, provides a broad range of products including blades, tools and dies, carbide tooling, hydroform blades, tube/pipe and roll-form tooling, titanium coatings and automation. The company has developed a revolutionary quick change system for changing cut-off blades in less than 10 seconds and jaw systems in less than 1 minute.

› The Numabend line was designed for bending torsion bars and exhaust brackets Options include 6 tons push chariot, auto- matic rolling and bending, automatic change of clamps (12 units), cutting of tube on the bender, and others currently in development. The Numatube 80 is mostly geared towards the aerospace and automotive industries. It guarantees very high precision and excellent repeatability, great speeds and high availability rate. It is run by a user- friendly and constantly upgraded software that permits ease of operation. Numalliance has also developed the Numabend line, especially created for working without a mandrel and ideal for the bending of torsion bars and exhaust brackets. This line of machines functions entirely automatically clockwise and counter-clockwise with the same technology as the Numatube line.

› Change blades in less than 10 seconds with quick change systems from New-Form Tools The company claims that its patented quick change system can increase mill uptimes by as much as 1 to 2 hours per day – an added benefit of 300-600 hours of running time per year. Quick change blade, jaw, and cross cut systems are made to fit existing die sets.

New-Form Tools Limited – Canada Fax : +1 519 272 1996 Email : service@newformtools.com • Website : www.newformtools.com

Numalliance/Macsoft – France Fax : +33 3 29 58 46 47 Email : macsoft@numalliance.com Website : www.numalliance.com

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S eptember /O ctober 2007