Advantages of All-Electric Tube Benders in High-mix Manufacturing
Electric tube benders provide fabricators with solutions for complex and repeatable bends, as well as economic challenges and shop floor management. The post Advantages of All-Electric Tube Benders in High-mix Manufacturing appeared first on Fabricating & Metalworking.
In the world of metal fabrication, advancements in tube laser and bending machines have unlocked unprecedented advancements in productivity, opening the doors to new opportunities and faster part processing times. However, this newfound productivity has introduced some challenges as well amidst a competitive labor market with a high operator turnover. Fabricators are finding themselves struggling to keep operators churning out parts to match the speeds that the machines can produce them. In the bender world, the switch from hydraulic to all-electric tube bending was a key downstream enabler to decrease part production times primarily due to the faster part changeovers, consistent repeatability and elimination of transition periods, ultimately bolstering the overall ease of use for machine operators.
All-electric systems eliminate the necessity to manually adjust the clamp die, pressure die and mandrel position — all aspects that are not automatically adjusted on hydraulic tube benders. Being able to control all of the machine’s components electrically can support an automated process for machine calibration, allowing even first-time operators to work proficiently without interruption or risk of error. This is especially important to meet the needs of the growing demand for product customization and push towards innovative technologies amidst a high rotation in the workforce. Today’s market calls for more “made-to-order” products, and all-electric benders can handle high-mix production far faster and more efficiently than hydraulic or other manual bending machines.
In addition, repeatability is another key benefit of all-electric benders because of the incredible precision that comes with the automatic adjustments that all-electric systems provide. This is especially pertinent to sectors that require extreme accuracy and have tight tolerances — such as the automotive and aerospace industries. The degree of accuracy can be fine-tuned to one-hundredth of a millimeter on these systems, and the machine can apply this level of accuracy to each part across the entire batch. These metrics can be recorded in the system memory of the software to be loaded any time moving forward, preserving repeatability even in a high product mix. Complex elements, such as variable radius bends, can also be replicated perfectly time and time again because of the capabilities of all-electric systems.
The elimination of transition periods, or times the machine’s working conditions change, is another key element to the value that all-electric systems bring tube bending. Hydraulic machine performance will differ based on oil viscosity, which is directly related to temperature and humidity, requiring operators with advanced bending expertise to manually adjust parameters throughout these transition periods to achieve the correct part. All-electric machines are not affected by temperature or humidity, effectively eliminating transition periods completely and delivering the same results whether the machine has been operating for minutes or hours.
Finally, the machine software is the cherry on the top for all-electric benders. Intuitive software that can perform adjustments automatically once a part template is created, provide 3D simulations to ensure there are no collisions, adjust for defects, as well as monitor production, allows operators of all skill levels to make the most out of all-electric bending machines. Combine all these factors together to arrive at an easy-to-use system that eliminates waste and trial and error — all-electric benders have truly revolutionized tube bending in the metal fabrication industry. They provide fabricators solutions not only for complex and repeatable bends, but also for economic challenges and shop floor management. Implementing the right bender can be the deciding factor to take part processing to the next level.
The post Advantages of All-Electric Tube Benders in High-mix Manufacturing appeared first on Fabricating & Metalworking.
