CNC Tube Bending Requirements
You may benefit from our CNC Tube Bending services if you don't have:
1. A skilled workforce to deliver accurate specifications by hand bending
Hand tube bending is a skill that takes some training to master. Automated CNC tube bending overcomes the potential for human error because it uses a vector measurement machine to measure exact coordinates, which are then sent to the bender itself and recreated. Scrap is eliminated because the bender is precise and you purchase only the finished product.
Tube bending is not often an ongoing process for many companies. Occasional projects that incorporate tube shapes can be distracting, reduce throughput and tie up resources that could be utilized elsewhere. An experienced tube bending partner can take the load off your company and provide bent, pre or fully swaged parts that are ready to use.
2. The workforce and space to deliver and store large quantities of bent tubing
An automated CNC tube bending partner can save time and cost, simplify and add efficiency to your projects. Parts are created in a fraction of the time that it would take to accomplish manually. Your team can focus elsewhere and you can utilize floor space at your facility for other purposes.
Tube bends can also be integrated into panels and other assemblies at our local Swagelok Custom Solutions facility. You receive ready-to-install parts, with no waste and less busywork for your team. The tube bends and tubing assemblies we prepare are also backed by the Swagelok Limited Lifetime Warranty.
3. Specifications for existing tube shapes or reverse engineering
We offer a portable, highly accurate measurement arm that can be taken to your jobsite to measure existing parts, creating a specification that can be stored for later or automatically sent to the CNC bender to recreate your parts. Additionally, if you need design changes to existing parts, these specifications can be used as a base.
4. Capability to bend unique or coiled shapes
The new CNC bender, an electric Eaton Leonard VB 25 DR, is well suited for small geometry and complex shapes, such as coils. It does this with a dual rotation arm that works clockwise and counterclockwise, essentially working as a left hand bender or a right hand bender.
Applications requiring 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" wall thickness with "heat exchanger-like" geometry can be bent.
Don't have drawings or measurements? Our portable Vector Measurement arm can measure from existing parts or our engineering team can work with a simple sketch to create bends from the ground up.
Read more about when tube bending works best.