CNC tubing bending

C

conceptdevelopers

Cast Iron

Joined

Jun 16, 2007

Location

Garland TX

• Nov 14, 2017

• #1

I was tore where to post this and general won the coin toss. I have some tubing, 5052-0, 1.0" O.D. with a .049" wall. I have sent the model out to a number of places trying to find someone to bend a small quantity of them, 40 parts. I have a step model and a C/L model along with a sketch of the final product. I have attached a screen shot of the models for y'all to see. The problem I'm having is that everyone wants to know angles and radii. If you look at the model you can tell it's a spline.
Am I asking for more than what CNC bending is capable of? What would you do?

 

Attachments

• 
  Center Line screen shot.JPG

  27.6 KB · Views: 128
• 
  Solid Model screen shot.JPG

  34.2 KB · Views: 132

Last edited: Nov 14, 2017

Kyle Smith

Stainless

Joined

Apr 25, 2008

Location

Helmer, Indiana, USA

• Nov 14, 2017

• #2

I use these guys for a couple similar parts, they have been a very good vendor. They can answer your question, my stuff is a bit simpler with angles and radii.

https://tubefab.org/

 

G

guest

Guest

• Nov 14, 2017

• #3

conceptdevelopers said:

...Am asking for more than what CNC bending is capable of? What would you do?

Click to expand...

Yes, you are.

Draw bending requires the material to be clamped. You can't get free-form shapes that way. You clamp, bend, move, etc.

You can roll bend it, but it's not a precise process- you would have to make a template and have them match it up as best they can.

I would talk to the benders. Go over the requirements, and redesign to be compatible with their equipment.

 

R

Royldean

Stainless

Joined

Dec 11, 2011

Location

Schwenksville, PA

• Nov 14, 2017

• #4

Splines are for artists. For manufacturing, never ever use them. Surely you can get by with a fully dimensioned drawing using only one radius?

 

E

Erich

Hot Rolled

Joined

Apr 4, 2017

Location

Poway, CA (from Location field)

• Nov 14, 2017

• #5

I would redesign the part to use radii and straight sections. You are asking too much of the process.

 

R

R. Dan

Cast Iron

Joined

Sep 1, 2012

Location

NW Iowa

• Nov 14, 2017

• #6

Redesign it with normal radii and straight sections on the c'line of the tube. Not that hard to do if you have a decent solid modeler like Inventor or SW. I've done a lot of these using 2d sketches, 3d sketches, whatever.

Here is a decent tube bender the company I retired from used a lot: Home | Rising Star Hydraulics | Watertown, SD They do very good work.

 

C

conceptdevelopers

Cast Iron

Joined

Jun 16, 2007

Location

Garland TX

• Nov 14, 2017

• #7

Well redesigning a part that airbus has been using for years for a fuel transfer line is not going to be possible.

 

M

MCritchley

Stainless

Joined

Mar 22, 2007

Location

Brooklyn WI

• Nov 14, 2017

• #8

There are machines and vendors out there that can bend that part.

Check out Sharpe Products in Milwaukee.

Yes a part with straight sections and one radii would be easier and cheaper to make, but it would not look like the OP's drawing.

 

L

LKeithR

Stainless

Joined

Sep 1, 2011

Location

Langley, B.C.

• Nov 14, 2017

• #9

MCritchley said:

...There are machines and vendors out there that can bend that part....

Click to expand...

Yup...
Something like this...

Incredible Technologies: Magic bending CNC machine - YouTube

 

H

HuFlungDung

Diamond

Joined

Jan 19, 2005

Location

Canada

• Nov 14, 2017

• #10

LKeithR said:

Yup...
Something like this...

Incredible Technologies: Magic bending CNC machine - YouTube

Click to expand...

That was fun to watch. I wonder what the gcode looks like to operate a machine like that, or what kind of CAM program would output properly.

 

G

guest

Guest

• Nov 14, 2017

• #11

conceptdevelopers said:

Well redesigning a part that airbus has been using for years for a fuel transfer line is not going to be possible.

Click to expand...

I was going to ask if it was an aerospace part. It's about the only way to justify the cost. Surprised it's not stainless though.

The machines in that video are what you are looking for- you need the ability to continuous;y feed the material while the bending/rotating is being done. The programming will approximate the spline by breaking it up into zillions of individual blocks of angles/radii.