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CNC Tube Benders Semi Automatic Tube Benders Rebuilt Machines Tube End Formers

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Can-Am Tube Tech

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Set Up

The information that follows has been taken from articles I have published and seminars I have presented. Please contact me to schedule a training session for you or your employees.

Please click on the following links to see the topics
201 Tooling Definitions and Functions
202 Qualify Machine Tool Mounting Surfaces
203 Qualify Machine Repeatability
204 Mounting the Tooling
205 Correcting Bad Bend Features
206 Getting the Part to Fit the Fixture
297 Tips and Tricks

The set up people are probably the ones who started tube bending's reputation as a "Black Art". If only very experienced set up persons can consistently make good parts, what is it that they do?

To begin with, know what you have to work with or establish a base line for the machine as discussed in 202 and 203. This takes the frustration out of correctly and consistently mounting the tooling (204).

Establishing and then repeating the various forces exerted on the tube during the bending process requires knowledge of tube material behavior and the machine (205 and 206).

Consistently locating the tube prior to each bend has become easier with CNC controls. CNC tube benders use servos to control the correct distance between bends (DBB), rotation or plane of bend (POB), and then bend the tube to the correct degree of bend (DOB). All electronic machines add control of clamp die force, pressure die force, pressure die assist force and speed, which are all critical elements for consistent production of good parts. With an all electronic machine, each value can be programmed and then saved for a particular part. It goes without saying, that the ability to program these settings is a huge advantage over using a wrench on an adjustment screw or flow control valve.