Servo electric or hydraulic drives for tube bending?

July 10, 2012 - PRLog -- Which one is better for tube bending and tube forming: fully electric or hybrid solutions with pneumatic or hydraulic clamping axis? There is no general answer. The experts of transfluid sees a lot of advantages in compact and powerful hydraulic drives for tube bending and tube forming of tube diameters bigger 120 mm. But this does not apply for the challenges, which has to be observed at smaller tube diameters. "Ever  more complex the requirement, so much more interesting is the provide of a tube bending machine with electric driven axis", says Gerd Nöker, managing director at transfluid.

Regarding this, the solution supplier transfluid equips their CNC pipe bending machines to a diameter of 120 mm with a electric bending drive and pneumatic or hydraulic clamping axis or individual according to customers requirements even full-electric, too. "At pipe bending machines for a low diameter is the speed a important factor. But even the accuracy is important, because the drive assure a absolutely reproducible product", carried Gerd Nöker out.


Technical convincingly
An example of a pipe bending machine for tubes to a diameter of 30 mm clears out the power of a full electronic tube bending machine: The bending power of such a pipe bending machine is 30 x 1,5 mm for steel with 1500 N/mm resistance. The machine offer a fast length movement of the tube of 1800 mm/Sec. and turn the tubes with 400°/Sec. and with bends the tube with 300°/Sec. The accuracy is 0,05 mm respective 0,05° and shows secondary how efficient electric drives can be, if a fast and accurate production is wished.  

Powerful option is right-/left bending
The changing of the bending head can be made, in 2,5 Seconds, inclusive positioning of the current bending level. This tube bending machines are equipped with three bending levels on each bending head as standard feature. Depending of geometry is a change of the bending level in less than 1,5 Seconds possible, too.  The right-/left pipe bending machines are designed very small. So they are ideal for the use of automatic loading- and unloading system.


Advantages of electrical drives
One of the main arguments of electrical drives for a diameter short of 120 mm for tube bending machines is the option that the axis are easy to synchronize to each other. The Function is very helpful, if the pipe bending machine is equipped with a boosting  function. So the result has a positive influence at tooling fixed bending and free forming. A reduction of the clamping length and a improvement of the wall thinning in the bending area is possible. Free forming geometries with minimal strength length between tool fixed bending  and roll bending (freeforming) can be product, too. An even important argument of this drives is the extreme quietly work of the machine. And last but not least: The economic factor of the energy management for this kind of machines.


transfluid at the EuroBLECH 2012: Hall 11,  Booth E02


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