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Can-Am Tube Tech

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304 Preventative Maintenance

At regular intervals it's a good idea to take time to check for progressive wear in areas that are critical to the
function of your machine.  Longer intervals for newer machines and shorter for older.  Catching a maintenance problem before it can cause scrap will always pay back the small investment in time that a P/M program requires.  Most bender operators can take the readings and keep a simple record of the results on a notebook that stays with the bender.
 
Tube Bender Mechanical Systems:

Bend head main bearings: A good way to check for wear on the main bearings is to look for side play while a set of tools is in place.  Put an indicator on the side of the bend die opposite the clamp and pressure dies (while they are out).  Watch for excessive movement as the clamp and pressure die are advanced.  Now put the indicator on top of the bend die and look for tilt using the same procedure.
 
Swing arm position: The repeatability of the swing arm can be checked using a dial indicator.  Set the bender to repeat 10X the same degree of bend.  Locate a dial indicator to read in the middle of its' range when the swing arm reaches the proper degree of bend. Note variations from bend to bend.
 
Carriage position: On a CNC bender you can check the repeatability of the carriage drive about the same way as above.  Program the carriage to backup and move forward to the same position 10X.   Set the indicator for the forward position.  Again, note variations.
 
Pressure die bolster: The pressure die bolster is critical to repeatable bends.  As machines age, the back end (opposite the pressure die) will start to move slightly down when the pressure die goes in and up when it comes out.  This movement can play havoc with degree of bend repeatability.  It allows the distance between the bend die and the pressure die to change during a bend.  That's bad because small changes in that distance mean big changes in the amount of force exerted by the pressure die on the tube.  Check this movement with an indicator.

Auto lube: If your machine is equipped with an autolube system, the fluid grease level should be topped off monthly.

Grease fittings: Even if your machine is equipped with autolube there are usually a few places it can't reach. Lube all availble grease fittings once per month.
 
Tooling:
 
Bend die root diameter;  on older dies used with wiper dies, this dimension should be checked and sent with wiper dies to whom ever recuts them for you to maintain reasonable wiper die life.

Bend die tube groove at tangent;  bend dies wear unevenly.  The first few degrees of bend in the tube groove wear more than the rest of the die, usually on dies made od softer materials or heavily used dies.

Mandrel parts; ball segments wear evenly if they can rotate, bodies that can't rotate need a quarter turn
occasionally to distribute the wear. 

Wiper die;  the closer the CLR of the wiper is cut to the CLR of the bend die the longer it will last.  

Clamp and pressure die;  the tube groove on the clamp and pressure die tends to get bigger or oval shaped as it wears.  This bears watching because as the surface area of contact with the tube is reduced, the clamp die starts slipping and the pressure die squeezes the tube out of shape.

Hydraulic system:
 
The oil breaks down with overheating and picks up water and oxygen over time, it should be changed yearly. Depending on use, the oil filter should be changed several times per year.
 
Electronic boards and diagnostics:

Like any computer, if it works 90 days after purchase, it should be OK in the long run.  Should there be a board level problem, nine times out of ten, it's caused by corrosion on the connector contacts.  That can be fixed by wriggling the connectors or by unplugging and then replugging them.

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