TPi January 2020

Products & developments

All-electric benders drive efficiency Twenty years ago, Alistair Bailey created JML Engineering Ltd to specialise in tube bending and tubular fabrications. The business developed through investment in several used hydraulic tube bending machines, with key customers providing steady orders for security and safety products.

The old hydraulic machines served the business well, but as they aged, and support from the manufacturers became non-existent, Mr Bailey recognised that it was time to invest further in the business to improve productivity. He researched the market and selected his first BLM all-electric multi-stack tube bender – an Elect 52. BLM states that key advantages of the all-electric Elect machines are the speed at which they can be set up, and the guarantee that bends will be consistent, without need for adjustment from the start of a batch to the last tube being finished. The CNC control on the Elect machines manages all of the clamping and slide pressures to ensure consistency of the bend; once the tools have been changed, the operator calls up the program and the control takes care of the bending process. “On our hydraulic machines, on which we were very well versed, it could take 45 minutes to achieve a first off, after which there would be a degree of trial and error before we got the bend just as we wanted it,” said Mr Bailey. “Now, we can complete the set-up in less than 15 minutes and know that the first tube will be within specification. Scrap is a thing of the past thanks to the uniformity of the process, and the software in the control is a major benefit. For example, the B-Tools software helps to eliminate the requirement for manual

The BLM CNC control features time-saving software features

reducing set-up times. The Push Bend capability provides flexibility in production, allowing small and large radii to be bent on the same piece of tube – which was not possible with JML Engineering’s hydraulic machines. The initial success of the BLM Elect 52 was such that Mr Bailey quickly followed it with a second machine – the larger Elect 80, with the capability to bend up to 80mm diameter tube. “At the time we had no requirement to bend tube at that diameter, but the extra capacity has given us the potential to open up new opportunities and expand our customer base,” he commented. “With the state- of-the-art nature of these two machines we are in a good place to meet existing and future demands from customers. We know we are now far more efficient, both in production and the environment, as the all-electric machines use less power and the working environment is a nicer place to be without the constant noise from hydraulic pumps and the associated oil leaks that went with them.”

adjustments, which were always needed on our hydraulic machines.” B-Tools software is part of the standard VGP3D 3D graphic programming software contained within the BLM control, and functions by taking theoretical data of a part to be bent and automatically applying corrections from a database of materials and bending experience. The VGP3D programming software allows the user to either create a part program at the machine, or import IGES and STEP files and automatically convert them into a bending program. Collision detection is also part of the system, with VGP3D checking the feasibility of a part program to ensure that there is no risk of damage to the part, machine or tools. Health and safety is improved, as operators have no reason to manually interact with the machine to make adjustments; the safety features of the light guards and fencing offer further protection during production. The multi-stack tooling system allows up to three sets of bending tools on the machine at any one time, further

BLM Group UK Ltd www.blmgroup.com

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TUBE PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL January 2020

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