The Basics of Tube Bending

Tubing benders are automation machines that are used to bend or shape metal. As an example visualize a trombone tuba, trumpet, french horn, brass musical instrument. Likewise lots of plumbing contains metal bars that have been bent by automation machines.

There's all kinds of tube bending and it's not just as simple as taking a bar or piece of metal and bending it. Heat and cold processes are sometimes used. A tubing bender can also perform press bending, rotary draw bending and three-roll push-bending.

CNC machines are automated machines that can bend tubing into the desired shapes. They're also known as CNC machines, or Computer Numerical Controlled machines. This means that the machines can be programmed to bend and cut metal tubing at very precise measurements.

Most CNC machines can perform tube bending in different directions. Tubes are bent around what is called a die. The die controls the angle of the bend. The die remains stationary as the tube is loaded into the machine (either automatically or manually) and is bent around the die.

Titanium Tube

Tube bending may also be called pipe bending. There are different types of pipe bending such as compression pipe bending. This is where a pipe is bent into a very tight radius. Mandrel tools can be used to achieve this. Draw pipe bending is used for pipe with thin walls and provides for maximum control of wall thinning. Aluminum pipe bending is perhaps the most difficult form because it's such a hard material.

Tube bending machines make things much easier than bending tubing by hand. These machines can either be handheld or floor-mounted. The user holds the tube at one end while the tubing bender machine forces the pipe through itself and bends it around the focal point. Tubing is usually cylindrical (or round stock) but rectangular and square tubing can also be bent.

In order to prevent wrinkling and breaking of the tube during the bending process, a mandrel is sometimes inserted into the tube. The mandrel gives the tube extra support. There are many different kinds of mandrels used, such as a plug mandrel, form mandrel, ball mandrel without a cable, ball mandrel with a cable or simply sand packed into the tube.

Titanium Sheet

During manual bendings, sometimes bending springs are used to serve the same function as mandrels. These bending springs are inserted into the tube during bending to support the wall of the pipe.

The types of material used in tubing bender applications can vary greatly depending on the application. Steels of different alloys may be used depending on what shape the product will be bent into.