TPT May 2014

Bending

Revolution in tube bending machines LANG Tube Tec is set to revolutionise the market for tube bending machines with the introduction of an entirely new processing concept. Lang Tube Tec used its presence at Tube in Düsseldorf to launch the new 80CNC-EMR – the world’s first fully electrically powered automatic bending machine to use a lifting table that creates vertical shift of collet rotation and mandrel retract both at the same time. The 80CNC-EMR from Lang Tube Tec

The integrated booster for applying additional pressure on the pipe while it is being bent is also driven on the lifting table during the same stage of work. Other highlights of Lang Tube Tec’s CNC-E series include the drive-click system for storing motor parameters as well as the entirely new control with intuitive graphic user interface and torque-controlled tube clamping. The model that was shown in Düsseldorf will also be equipped with an optical weld seam scanning device that helps always correctly and precisely align the tube’s weld seam. “The new machine concept will enable our customers to break entirely new ground in regard to machine rigidity and machining quality. It will also help considerably reduce set-up times, which will in turn increase productivity,” said head of sales, Sabine Neff, outlining the innovation’s most important benefits. The technological advances mean that it is highly suited for employment in the automotive and commercial- vehicle sectors as well as in the fields of aerospace and shipbuilding. Compared with the otherwise conventional methods where collet rotation and mandrel retract shifting are effected separately, Lang Tube Tec’s innovation realises the benefits of greater rigidity, 100 per cent synchronicity of both units’ movement and the decisive advantage that the high booster forces may be applied directly and centrally. “Our new concept means that we’re able to prevent the high levels of torque from affecting the sensitive ball bearing spindles,” explained service and project manager Björn Brunner. Lang Tube Tec’s lifting table concept also offers benefits over conventional machining processes where the bending head is moved vertically: even

ball-bearing spindles means that Lang Tube Tec’s 80CNC-EMR considerably reduces maintenance requirements while the machine’s entirely new enclosure and the concept that uses a separate switch cabinet also allow optimum access for maintenance.

with increasing machine sizes, users will still be able to position the tubes at the ergonomically optimised operating height of 1,150mm and carry out tool changes without straining their backs. Both minimise set-up times and ensure that the machine can be taken quickly into operation so that jobs can be completed even faster. The newmachine control with the Siemens Simotion CNC also stands for the speedy and safe execution of work flows because all axes are moved simultaneously. The fact that the user interface is so intuitive also means that Lang Tube Tec’s CNC-E series may even be operated by people without previous CNC training. Because the clamping and feeding forces are torque-controlled, the machine automatically compensates for fluctuations in tube batches. A high-performance simulation program allows the tubes’ bending properties to be checked in advance so that any necessary corrections may be made before they are worked. It also allows binary-coded 3D models to be imported to prevent any input errors. The tools and bending programs used with the 80CNC-EMR may be programmed quickly and the fact that all parameters are stored in the memory means that the machine is always ready for use and doesn’t have to be run in beforehand. The bending tools may be changed particularly quickly: the pressure die is simply hung into the T-grooves, the clamp dies slid into the circular guide and the tie rods may be swivelled after the locking pins have been released. The concept may be adapted to existing tool systems. The fact that maintenance-intensive gas-pressure springs are no longer needed to support the bending head and

Lang Tube Tec – Germany Email: info@lang-tubetec.com Website: www.lang-tubetec.com

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M ay 2014