What Are Tube Benders? A Professional Guide to CNC Tube Bending Machines

What Are CNC Tube Benders?

A CNC tube bending machine is a fully automatic computer operated machine. It uses heavy-duty mechanical parts operated by or sometimes by a hydraulic system. CNC tube benders can perform complex bends with very high precision that hand-formed parts simply cannot match.

Many companies have state-of-the-art CNC tube bending machines designed to cut, bend, and form tubes between 6.35mm and 42mm in diameter and 2,000mm in length. They can meet various manufacturing needs, ranging from simple, single bends to complex bends involving spirals and multiple bending points.

The CNC tube bending machines are designed to cut, bend, and form to precise measurements right down to the millimeter or degree. Because of that, they’re able to create accurately sized stainless steel, carbon steel, and aluminum tubing for water and fuel as well as other automotive parts. We also make specialty components for the oil and gasoline industries, and more.

 

How Does a CNC Tube Bending Machine Work?

CNC stands for computer numerical control. A CNC tube bending machine works with a computer to control the mechanical parts and hydraulic system. The machine guarantees consistent bending and precise dimensions. It also eliminates any confusion with bending techniques every time. There are five main components in a CNC tube bending machine that play a large role in clean, precise bending:

• Bending die: A circular part that defines the bend radius.

• Die Clamp: A clamp that helps the bending die grip the tube as the bending die rotates.

• Wiper: Perishable part that prevents wrinkles on the inside of the fold.

• Locking Pin: Perishable part that runs along the wiper to prevent wrinkles on the inside of the fold.

• Pressure die: a large part that exerts just enough pressure on the pipe to bend it accurately.

All these parts work together to achieve a perfect bend as per your computer specifications.
 

The Benefits of Modern CNC Tube Bending

Tube bending technology is advancing rapidly and we have reached the point where CNC tube bending machines outperform manual tube bending in many different ways. For example:

• Completely automatic

• More precise and therefore more reliable than manual bending

• Each time he is able to acquire the appropriate tool techniques

• It's inexpensive

• The bending head is small enough to create complex shapes in one cycle, even for pipes that typically require bidirectional bending.

• They produce minimal waste.

• High-end software is reliable and user-friendly.

Due to the incredible performance and reliability of these machines, they can help you save time and money and pass the savings on to your customers.
 

What Are the Components of Tube Benders?

The basic components of a CNC bending machine are mandrel, bending die, clamping die and scraper die.

• Mandrel: The mandrel enters the tube for support while bending avoid creasing, distorting, collapsing, flattening, wrinkling or cracking during the process. The use of a mandrel provides better control of the ovality or roundness of the pipe. Mandrel bending produces highly accurate, reproducible results when working with narrow or large bend radii and multiple bend radii. Depending on the hardness of the pipe, the hardness of the pin is very important. For extremely strong pipes, a soft mandrel is used and a hard mandrel is used for softer tubes. This prevents the mandrel from sticking to the inside of the pipe, which can damage the pipe.

• Bending die: The radius of the bending die takes into account the durability of the tube to accommodate radial growth. Bending a harder material requires a bending die with a smaller radius.

• Crimping die: The ideal length of the crimping die is three times the pipe diameter. Short clamp, puts too much pressure on a short length of pipe, damaging the component.

• Wiper: The wiper supports the tube on the inside of the fold to prevent wrinkles. Place the squeegee at a slight angle so that the contact tip is always very sharp. Lubrication at the contact point is important to avoid premature wear.

 

Lubrication

Proper lubrication is critical to the highest quality bends. Lubrication reduces friction during bending for clean, smooth results. We prefer synthetic lubricants that do not contain petroleum in the form of a paste or a gel. Durable metals often require more lubrication to prevent friction.

 

Production Systems Recommended for Pipe Bening

• Control systems: in the production of chemical engineering the unimpeded flow of gases or liquids is essential. There are no kinks in bent tubing systems that stop or slow the flow of materials through the system.

• Delivery Systems: CNC machined tubing creates fluid tight and airtight seals for a constant flow of matter throughout the system.

• Purification Systems: Cleaning processes often involve the use of harsh chemicals that can decompose the filler material on the pipes to be welded over time. The bent tubes contain no filler but consist only of the base metal, leaving precise material flow paths.

• Storage Systems: Manufacturers in the chemical industry may use piping systems to deliver potentially hazardous materials for temporary or long-term storage. The inside of the tubes used to transport this material must remain clean. The bent tube has no sharp curves to trap materials, so the interior remains unpolluted as materials flow through.

• Test systems: Materials flowing through test systems must retain their original properties. The risk is much lower with bent tubes of contamination as opposed to using a welded tube system or a system with multiple joints. The more components added to a system increases the opportunity for contamination.