TPT November 2009

94 / 132

Bending, End Forming & Swaging
92 November 2009 ›
The benefits of
CNC tube bending
AddisonMckee manufactures a
large range of all-electric, hydraulic and
combination tube benders from 4mm to
273mm diameter. The company offers
four lines of CNC tube bending machines
to meet the demands of manufacturers
across industries. CNC tube bender models
provide accuracy, repeatability, quick tool
change and ease of operation.
CNC tube benders add a new level of
speed and precision to rotary draw bending.
The value of CNC bending increases in
direct proportion with the complexity of
the tubular part. The more variety there
is between radii of the bends, the more
important it is to have CNC equipment.
CNC equipment manipulates the tube to
precisely position the various bends relative
to each other. CNC tube bending is usually
employed when a part contains more than
two bends.
The new PowerBend range of CNC tube
bending machines caters to manufacturers
requiring standard three axis solutions,
while AddisonMckee’s flagship DataBend
series includes all electric, hydraulic and
combination tube bending machines from 4
to 273mm diameter.
AddisonMckee has also designed a
range of specialised, electrically powered,
hydraulically operated elbow tube benders.
Developed to answer the demands of the
plumbing industry, the ElbowBend series is
capable of delivering six 90° or 45° copper
elbow joints every 7.2 seconds.
The company’s FormMaster-70 ram
extrusion machine, or FM 70 RE, has been
designed to produce small bent components
at high speeds with minimal scrap.
In March AddisonMckee announced
an agreement to merge with Eagle
Precision Technologies, a leader in muffler
manufacturing and bending solutions.
As part of the agreement AddisonMckee
acquired defined assets of Eagle Precision
Technologies, including designs, drawings,
software and trademarks, while excluding its
liabilities, facilities, and certain equipment.
AddisonMckee’s Eagle TM brand of bending
machines are designed to meet demanding
requirements, and incorporate the latest
technology for automatic tube bending. The
range of machines can handle tubes from
small diameters up to 150mm (6").
AddisonMckee – USA
Fax: +1 513 228 7226
Email:
Website:
Schwarze-Robitec GmbH, Germany, a
manufacturer of tube cold bendingmachines,
has recently delivered several machines to
boiler and power station manufacturers.
These machines are developed to produce
tight radii, even less than R=D, in tube
serpentines and single bends, with PC CNC
control for highly accurate movements of
all axes.
The machines can be equipped with
magazine and automatic loader, as well
as automatic cutting saw, automatic 1D/3D
bending and bending facility for bend-in-
bend compound systems. A flip-over table
for synchronous rotation of flat serpentines
in connection with the orientation device is
also available.
The latest PC CNC control offers many
features for entering the values necessary
for the production of high quality products
in the shortest possible time. The simple
control offers easy access to automatic
and manual operating modes and system
diagnostics.
The bending results are within the latest
EN 12952-5 European standard for water-
tube boilers and auxiliary installations
approved in 2000. Due to the control feature
of using eight different boosting pressure
parameters in one program, it is possible to
satisfy the requirements of different bending
angles with different materials in one product
or serpentine.
Together with the production of tight
bending radii down to R=D, it enables
the manufacture of boilers in smaller
dimensions, but with higher capacity, which
can be used in the most modern (fossil
fuelled and nuclear) power stations. With
the use of a mandrel, bending of thin-walled
tubes to tight bending radii is possible, since
the booster unit relieves the outer wall of
the bends.
Schwarze-Robitec GmbH – Germany
Fax: +49 221 890 0829
Email:
Website:
Cold bending machines for boiler and
power station manufacturing
Ampco Metal provides high-tech alloys
for demanding applications, including a
comprehensive range of high-performance
aluminium bronze alloys for pressings, tube
bending, deep drawing, rolling and roll
forming applications.
The company guarantees a wide range
of materials satisfying the highest require-
ments, such as the patented alloy Ampco®
25 for tube forming rolls, and Ampco18, 21
and M4 in the tube bending sector.
In addition to alloys, Ampco Metal has
extensive machining facilities and can
assist customers at times of peak demand
by offering a full or part machining service
to smooth their production programmes and
avoid bottlenecks.
Ampco Metal SA – Switzerland
Fax: + 41 26 439 93 01
Email:
Website:
 Ampco Metal can supply a range of
materials for applications in tube
bending and roll forming applications
Aluminium bronze alloys