Tube or pipe busbar machine in a lot of industries. It can be done with precision and ease with the right machine. While most heavy-duty benders are reserved for bigger industries and machine shops but there are some more affordable and practical that can be used even without much experience.
Because of its equilateral composition, a tube can be bent in multiple angles and directions without losing much tensile strength. A tube can be safely bent anywhere up to 180 degrees. Its openings can also be made to fall on different planes-three-dimensional bending.
In each kind of machine, the process adheres to a basic principle. A tube is loaded into a bender which is clamped into place between two dies. Mechanical force is used to push the pipe against a die which forces it to conform to the shape of the guide. This is often done by rotating or rolling its end around it (die).
The basic principle above is used in the different classes of benders enumerated below. Each bender type is different in the way it applies mechanical force to achieve the bend.
Press bender
Probably the most basic type of bender is the press bender. As the name suggests, mechanical force creates the bend by pressing the tube against a die. The force is usually applied hydraulically or pneumatically, depending on the configuration of the machine. This type of bender can be used on cold pipes but it usually deforms the cross section at the bend to an oval shape due to the lack of internal support.
Rotary draw bender
A rotary draw bender is more precise in its bends because it uses a constant center radius. Counter and former dies work together on both sides of the bend, guiding the tube precisely as it travels the length of the bend. This type of bender creates nice bends that have little to no deformation. Because of this, it is a popular choice for the creation of rails, frames, bike and motorcycle handles, and racing car roll cages.
Heat-induction (method)
While technically not a type of bender, heat-induction is often paired with an external tube bender machine. In heat-induction, heat is induced into the section of the pipe that will be bent. While the pipe is hot, pressure is placed on the pipe via machine. It can also be used on larger pipes that are hard to fit on a bender-petroleum lines, power plants, etc.
Roll benders
A roll bender is different from the other types as it gradually changes the bend radius in the pipe over several passes to the rollers. The rollers usually work in sets of three, sometimes in a pyramid formation where only the topmost moves and applies the force to move the tube and create the bend.