TPi September 2017

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September 2017 TUBE PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL 31
products & developments
Portable measurement system expands
opportunities for bending tubes
Obtaining exact measurement data
for component production, reverse
engineering or component inspection is
especially useful for creating valuable
results during tube bending. For this
reason, transfluid Maschinenbau GmbH
has developed ‘t control’, together with
a partner.
The wireless system for measuring
tubes and connection elements such
as flanges does not need arms,
joints or laser beams, and measures
via an exactly defined light pattern,
which is observed by one or more
cameras that determine the position
and orientation of the light pattern in
space. This enables the desired raw
data to be recorded. Corresponding
interfaces allow exchange of data with
CAD and transfluid’s ‘t project’ bending
program, and direct integration of the
tube bending machine in the process.
The overall system therefore increases
flexibility. t control is portable, ensures a
high level of precision in the measuring
space (directly at the object), and is
suitable for use on construction sites.
“During cooperative development,
the strong performance of the overall
system was important to us: measuring,
digital documentation, data processing,
and execution of bending,” explained
Stefanie Flaeper, general manager of
transfluid. “However, easy operation
and the fact that t control would be
ready for measuring quickly are also
important practical factors, of course.”
No calibration is necessary and t control
is ready to start within five minutes,
with up to 20m of measurement power.
Depending on the requirements, this is
implemented via tactile measurement
with standard measurement sensors or
tube measuring calipers.
In addition to control measurements for
components, material correction values
for transfluid ‘t bend’ tube bending
machines can be recorded. In the area
of reverse engineering, simple existing
geometries can be measured in order to
reproduce them precisely.
Data for component production is
recorded by drawing a fictional tube
shape using ‘air points’ between the
connection pieces. This enables simple
and exactly matching tube construction
directly at the installation location.
Connections like flanges and screw
connections can be recorded and
processed digitally. This also includes
detection and bypassing of possible
projecting edges. The data exchange
with CAD and the connection with the
transfluid bending program enable the
geometry to be optimised, including
the bending collision test.
Over-bending values for the bending
machine can be recorded within the
scope of the component inspection.
Evaluations that make CPK detection
and measurement series are also
possible. The system provides
measurement logs and comparison of
measurement results with the CAD
master component.
transfluid Maschinenbau GmbH –
Germany
The wireless t control system can be used to measure tubes
and connection elements like flanges directly on site
Corresponding interfaces allow exchange of data with CAD
and transfluid’s t project bending program
Direct integration of the tube bending machine in the process is possible
© transfluid
© transfluid
© transfluid