TPT November 2007

Technology Update

Small diameter thin wall tubes High Tech Tubes Ltd, UK, supplies small diameter and thin wall tubes to the aerospace, electronics, instrumentation and medical industries worldwide. The company is an independent manufacturer, specialising in producing non-standard tubes with tight tolerances, mainly in stainless steel and nickel/nickel alloys. These products are also supplied in aluminium alloys, OFHC and DHP copper, 70/30 brass and 70/30 cupro-nickel. Outside diameters range from 0.25mm (0.01") to 16mm (0.625"), and wall thicknesses from 0.05mm (0.002") to 1mm (0.04"). The company also produces profile tubes, including square, rectangular, hexagonal, elliptical, flat oval, triangular and half-round sections. Quality assurance is covered by ISO.9001:2000 and the International Aerospace standard AS.9100:Rev. B.

All-electric tube bending brings quality finish to hydraulic tube components

Pressure Tubes Limited, UK, is a supplier of manipulated tube components, assemblies and systems intended predominantly for hydraulic pressure applications. Since 2004, the company’s focus has been on supplying ‘yellow goods’ OEMs, such as JCB and Terex Construction, with products that

numbers, and ready to go straight onto the E-Turn. After bending, components can be delivered to a new robot welder for tee pieces and brackets to be TIG-welded precisely into place. “ Once you have succeeded in securing new business, it is close attention to quality, delivery and price that makes sure you keep it, ” commented Mr

can be delivered straight to vehicle assembly lines for just-in-time fitting to backhoe loaders, excavators and various other construction and agricultural industry equipment. With this in mind, the company took delivery of a

Harrison. “ This is why we opted for the BLM E-Turn. Our customers tend to order small batches of a wide variety of parts on a just-in-time

› The BLM E-Turn CNC tube bender deposits finished components onto a storage rack prior to inspection and dispatch

BLM E-Turn right and left hand computer- controlled tube bending machine capable of completing complex tube components in one cycle. The new machine is equipped with an automatic loading and unloading facility that enables it to run for long periods with the minimum of supervision, allowing the operator to carry out other ancillary work. This is one aspect of the sweeping changes being made to the way in which customers’ orders are progressed through the 30,000ft 2 factory. “ Having decided that our business should focus on hydraulic system components, we set about improving the efficiency of the manufacturing process with the intention of reducing the overhead and generating funds for new investment, ” said Pressure Tubes Limited’s Phil Harrison. “ We installed the E-Turn in February 2006 and are now looking to buy a second machine, one incentive being that, unlike our existing hydraulic-powered tube benders, the all-electric E-Turn can run unmanned. Programming is simple, set-up times are much shorter and parts can be completed in a third of the time taken on our other tube bending machines. ” The company reports that turnover has increased five-fold since 2004, to £3.6 million, as the result of various initiatives. For example, Pressure Tubes previously bought in 6m lengths of hydraulic tube, which were then cut, deburred and washed in-house before bending. Now tube is being delivered cut to length against specific part

basis, and this means we must be in a position to guarantee our process efficiency and machine reliability. ” Because the complete head of the E-Turn rotates through 180°, it is capable of left and right-hand bending in automatic cycle, which eliminates work-in-progress. As to part quality, complex hydraulic tube components requiring radii of less than 1x diameter can be manipulated using the integral ‘bend boost’ device; this can have its power modulated during the bending process to avoid unsightly stress marks. The controllability of the E-Turn’s 12 axis movements – courtesy of the Visual Graphics Programming (VGP) software – ensures that components are not only produced right first time, but are repeatable batch to batch without undue reliance on operator expertise. Since all axis movements are set automatically, job changeovers, typically, are completed within two to three minutes. The VGP software also allows checking on-screen, providing a reliable guide to component cycle times and identifying any possible collision risk. Because the PC-based control selects the correct parameters, the guesswork is taken out of the tube bending process. An added bonus for Pressure Tubes is the fact that the E-Turn is environmentally friendly, since power is only required during axis movements.

High Tech Tubes Ltd – UK Fax : +44 1932 355 441

Email : sales@hightechtubes.co.uk Website : www.hightechtubes.com

BLM Group UK Ltd – UK Fax : +44 1525 402 312

Email : sales@blmgroup.uk.com Website : www.blmgroup.uk.com

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N ovember /D ecember 2007