TPT January 2013

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66 January 2013
Technology News
AGENTS
REQUIRED
Specialised tube
bending software
IN times when tubes
were manually bent on
hand operated tube
benders, tube bending
was considered an art.
The tube artists always
knew about the hidden
“causes of defect”
because the fitting
accuracy was and is still
a question of interaction
between the material
and its variable criteria,
such as temperature,
weight, transportation,
diameter, wall thickness
etc and the references to
the centreline including
the coordinates of the
A and B ends in relation
to the bend angle, radius and rotation,
all of which end up in the tolerance
envelope.
TeZetCAD, the specialised tube
software, is made up of sophisticated
modules demanded by the
continuously developing tube market.
Each person uses a different
measuring technique using a different
number of measuring points, so that
when a tube needs to be re-measured
by a different person due to a shift
change, holidays or illness, differences
between the repeated measurements
occur, especially because of the bent
tube geometries and their “own life”. The
measuring plan defines the number of
measuring points per cylinder and per
bend radius, for example for weak bend
angles and/or deviations the number of
measuring points may be four or six,
with bend angles and deviations which
are recognisable you need perhaps only
two measuring points, to stay in the pre-
defined tolerance envelope.
Many companies work with so-
called “planning process versions”. The
operators pre-process the bending data
for the different bending machines’ work
without using measuring machines.
Sometimes it would help if they could
measure with a measuring machine
in order to optimise the process. With
TeZetCAD’s new Virtual Measurement
function, themeasuringarm is replacedby
the mouse. Instead of the measurement-
sound to confirm the recorded xyz point,
the user hears the mouse click. The
object-orientated measurement of the
flanges as a geometric part is possible
in TeZetCAD, because the construction
department outputs the flange data in
form of surface data, which they deliver
with an IGES converter.
The dimensions are captured by the
mouse click and can be edited. The
fitting of the tube in depth and diameter
can be controlled for its accuracy of fit
and can be corrected, as well as the
screw holes.
To facilitate communication, TeZet
integrated Internet access into its
software. On the left side of the screen
the user has an icon for the Quick
Support software and can connect with
TeZet without having administrator or
advanced user rights. The connection is
automatically closed by TeZet at the end
of the session.
TeZet Technik AG – Switzerland
Fax: +41 56 2492878
Email:
Website:
Result of the tube corrections for flange and tube
Graphical representation of the alternation of the
tube and flange in relation to the original tube
(above)