TPT January 2014

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18 January 2014
Industry News
Tube bending and fabrication
SHARPE Products, which specialises
in tube bending and fabrication, offers
custom CNC pipe/tube bending and
rolling, tube laser cutting and tube
fabrication services for many industries
and OEMs including the automotive,
medical, furniture, retail and handrailing
sectors.
Utilising state-of-the-art CNC tube
bending machinery and tube inspection
technology Sharpe’s bending team is
equipped to handle pipe and tube up to
6" OD with experience bending steel,
stainless steel, aluminium, copper, and
other materials. With the use of all-electric
tube benders, quality bent products are
produced and delivered to customers in a
cost effective and time efficient manner.
Sharpe’s fibre optic tube laser has
unique cutting capabilities and increased
production speed versus traditional CO2
tube lasers. This 3,000 watt fibre optic
tube laser can cut highly reflective
materials which include copper, brass,
bronze, galvanised pipe, and aluminium
along with the traditional steel and
stainless steel. Capacity for the tube
laser is up to 6" OD.
End-forming capabilities have recently
been expanded at Sharpe’s facility with
the addition of a Proto-1 Ram-70 end-
forming machine allowing for a wide
variety of end-forming options. This six
head end-former can handle tube sizes
from ½" OD up to 7" OD for a variety
of pipe and tube shapes. In addition to
making end-forms such as beading,
expanding and reducing, this CNC
machine allows for multiple end-forms
on one piece of tube by being hit up to
six times. This allows for complicated
parts to be made in an efficient and cost
effective manner.
The following value-added custom
tube fabrication services are also
available to help complete your project:
high-speed cutting, end-forming:
reducing, expanding, flaring, swaging,
beading and threading. Fabrication:
welding, notching, punching, coping and
drilling. Finishing: anodising, polishing
and powder coating.
Quality inspection processes are
in place for every type of quality level
needed from 100 per cent fixturing on the
BluCo to detailed reporting from the Tube
Inspect S and 3D laser scanner. This
gives Sharpe customers confidence of
a smooth product development process.
Specifically designed for the tube
bending industry, the Tube Inspect S
inspects bent parts in seconds and
sends needed corrections directly to
the bending machine if required. This
results in shortened set-up times and
more accurate set-up of parts.
For customers that have a continuous
need for their products, Sharpe Products
offers inventory management programs
such as Kanban, and stock and release
programs. These programs provide
customers with shortened lead times for
lean operations. Jobs from prototype to
large volume production are welcome.
Sharpe Products – USA
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