Product category:
Tubeworking: bending, cutting-off, profiling and end working
News Release from: AddisonMckee | Subject: All-electric CNC tube bender
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 17 November 2006
All-electric CNC tube bender minimises
wastage
A sixth all-electric CNC tube bending machine delivered to an automotive exhaust manufacturer is helping reduce the wastage of valuable stainless steel tube at the point of cut-off.
In supplying a sixth all-electric CNC tube bending machine to automotive exhaust giants, Calsonic Kansei North America, UK-based tube bending and end forming specialists, AddisonMckee, are not only helping a leading OEM to take a further step towards the use of allelectric tube bending technology, but are also helping reduce the wastage of valuable stainless steel tube at the point of cut-off Whilst Lancashire-based AddisonMckee has been a major bending equipment technology supplier to Calsonic Kansei - the global leader in integrated automotive systems - for quite some time, the company has recently begun to provide several of its all-electric tube bending and end-forming solutions for Calsonic operations in North America
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 23 Jun 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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Total product repeatability Delivered in June 2001, the first AddisonMckee all-electric machine to be supplied to Calsonic North America was a Databend DB 75 CNC tube bender.
However, as Calsonic quickly discovered the very real benefits of greater manufacturing precision and total product repeatability that could be achieved by using AddisonMckee's electrically powered tube benders in preference to traditional hydraulic models, a further four Databend DB 75 machines were subsequently purchased.
Yet it is the very latest machine to be ordered by the North American company - a DB 75 ESRB (E - all-electric, S - multi-stack, R- multi-radius, B- boost) - that truly underlines the advantages of using AddisonMckee technology and demonstrates the UK firm's willingness to develop innovative and highly flexible solutions for the most demanding of requirements.
Further reading
Tube forming machine making spans 50 years
Claiming to be the world's leading producer of tube forming machines for the car and truck exhaust pipe manufacturing, a UK company has an engineering pedigree that spans almost 50 years.
Tube development becomes simple to program
Modular control system is simple to program for any tube development application and - using a novel 'teach mode' facility - can 'learn' individual tube manufacturer configurations.
Electric tube benders have shear blade cut-off
Incorporating shear blade cut-off technology into all-electric tube bending machines provides a cleaner, quicker system and results in considerably less end-length wastage.
* Integrated tube bending and cut-off - "During our discussions with Calsonic, and prior to commencing build of this latest Databend machine," commented AddisonMckee sales and marketing director, Peter Chapman, "It became obvious that whilst the greater controllability offered by our all electric CNC benders was crucial in the manufacturing process, the development of a standardised fully automatic machine that also incorporated integrated tube cut-off would be invaluable." * Standardised solution - "With the new model destined to produce multiple tight radius bends for many small size exhaust components from costly stainless steel tube, material wastage was also a key issue and we set about creating a tube bending and end forming solution that embraced all the benefits of our Databend DB 75 machine and harnessed the end-forming technology provided by our Ohio USA operation to create a single, standardised integrated bending and cut-off unit," said Chapman.
"Through incorporating the functions of complex tube bending and cutoff into one unit, the benefits for Calsonic were significant.
The need for separate cutting after bending was eliminated, substantial labour savings were made and, via the provision of precise tube cut-off - resulting in significantly less wastage - the ability to produce multiple small components and enjoy considerable savings in tubular material was made possible." * About the all-electric DB 75 - based on a modular approach that enables different model formats to be produced around the same fundamental design, the AddisonMckee DB 75 - like all of the company's 'Electra' models - offers significant advantages over conventional hydraulic counterparts.
Fully programmable With a fully programmable 9-axis and CNC control of all movements, traditional tube manipulation problems are removed.
The elimination of manual machine setting, following tooling changes, provides guaranteed repeatability, flexible programming and fast changeover times, whilst greater controllability ensures better bends and vastly reduced wastage.
* Clean 'all electric' technology - at the same time, the absence of hydraulics also ensures that there are no leaks and, more importantly, greatly reduced temperature variations.
Whilst reduced running costs and low-level maintenance procedures are also achieved.
* Considerable options - the options available across the Electra range include single and variable multi-stack, as well as multi-radius and SynchroBend boost bending to enable materials to be bent into configurations previously considered impossible by reducing wall thinning at the point of bend.
Enhanced 'DB' control and versatility - integral to every AddisonMckee CNC tube bender, 'Databend' is an intelligent, flexible computer controlled system that has the capacity to provide complete control, immediate reaction to commands and display total machine operating status.
An enhanced touch screen interface also enables all machine and axis moves and boost sequences to be selected simply by the operator.
Whilst a unique 'teach mode' eliminates the need for bespoke machine software sequences, allowing the machine to be 'taught' specific configurations for the creation of specific shapes and improved repeatability.
* World-class design - AddisonMckee's skilled workforce is capable of manufacturing CNC tube bending and tooling to suit virtually any application large or small.
The company's UK site is equipped with a large variety of modern CNC machine tools, supported by Computer Aided Manufacturing and up to 30 design engineers working within integrated management TQM procedures.
AddisonMckee systems are also used for tube bending and end forming applications in the shipbuilding, aerospace, furniture, sports and hospital equipment industries.
At its UK plant, AddisonMckee produces a range of over 50 basic hydraulic and electric CNC machines that can bend from 4mm pipes used in the automotive and aerospace industries to 273mm tubes used in shipbuilding.
The company manufactures about 150 end-forming machines a year from its plant in the USA.
AddisonMckee machines are supported by a fast response 'round-the-clock' spare parts and on-site assistance service manned by a team of skilled service engineers.
With over 3,000 of its machines installed worldwide, AddisonMckee enjoys a global reputation for meeting and servicing its customers' needs.
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