Pipe and Tubing Bender
A pipe and tubing bender is a machine which bends tube, pipe and even metal. tubing benders are ordinarily either human powered, pneumatic powered, hydraulic assisted, hydraulic motor driven, or electric servo motor. During the processess of bending the pipe or tubing, the pipe or tube may be supported internally or externally to preserve the cross section of the pipe. This may be done with a Spring Bender. In situations when there is flexibility in the shape of the pipe, the tubing will not usually require support, however there may be some structural imperfection in the cross section of the pipe or tubing.
Much of the tooling that is used for pipe and tube bending is made of hardened steel or tooled steel to maintain the tools life. If there is a concern of scratching or gouging the work piece, a softer material such as aluminum or bronze is most often used instead. The clamping block, rotating form block and pressure die are often formed from the hardened steel because the tubing or piping is not moving past these pieces of the apparatus. The pressure die and the wiping die however, are usually formed from either aluminum or bronze to ensure the shape and surface of the tubing is protected.
