TPT September 2009

T echnology U pdate

Specialist bending of copper allows consistent high voltage

 Bare and insulated copper rods for on-load tap chargers

TRACTO-TECHNIK, Germany, has supplied a manufacturer of on-load tap changers (OLTC) with a TUBOTRON 20 RL fully automatic right-and-left-hand CNC bending machine. The machine is used for bending the conducting copper rods, which are installed at the OLTCs. Tap changers are important components within the field of high-voltage technology and their main function is to regulate transformers by compensating voltage jitters. Although bending of copper rods can initially appear to be a straightforward process, there were some particular difficulties in this special case – the copper rods with a bigger outside diameter were insulated with paper. In order to prevent damage of this insulating layer the bending machine was equipped with special pressure dies, consisting of several counter rolls. Furthermore, some of the rods were provided with connecting plates, even before the

bending process. Therefore, the c o r r e s p o n d i n g collet chucks have special gaps that hold the plates and allow for a defined and precise rotational alignment of the plate prior to the first bend. The TUBOTRON

20 RL has an exposed and compact bending head that ensures maximum bending space when producing even complicated tube figures with an outside diameter up to 20mm. The company claims that intuitive programming of all axes is performed via SIMATIC touch panel PC control with menu-driven user guidance. The bending machine has a servo-electric bending drive that allows for precise bending with highest repeat accuracy. Maximum bending speed

is 450°/s.The Tracto-Technik product range covers CNC tube bending machines up to 170mm OD, semi-automatic and one-axis- controlled tube bending machines, tube- end forming machines and tube measuring systems as well as piping software solutions. Tracto-Technik GmbH & Co KG – Germany Fax : +49 27 2595 4033 Email : tubomat@tracto-technik.de Website : www.tracto-technik.de

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S eptember 2009

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