TPT November 2022

BEND I NG , END FORM I NG & SWAG I NG

Advanced tube bending simulation software on show at FABTECH 2022

into the tube bending process before a single part is bent. Products within the Opt2Sim software suite include a version where both CAD modelling

VISITORS to FABTECH 2022 were able to discover Unison’s innovative and user-friendly control systems and advanced tube simulation software called Opt2Sim Tube. It is the latest addition to its Opt2Sim software suite. Visitors also had the chance to win one of several Opt2Sim Tube software licenses. “In developing Opt2Sim Tube, our goal was to offer a tube simulation product that would make it simpler and more straightforward than ever before to create virtual parts ready for bending data to be uploaded to the bending machine,” said Unison’s joint managing director, Alan Pickering. “In Opt2Sim Tube, we give users the ability to drag and drop STEP files into the software program and extract tube data instantly. Parts can also be drawn by simply entering XYZ or YBC coordinates and viewed in 3D. Bend data is quickly converted into printable reports and individual tube data can also be extracted.” Unison’s new Opt2Sim Tube software sits within the company’s wider Opt2Sim suite of 3D simulation software programs. Perfected for ‘design to manufacture’ production strategies, Opt2Sim tube bending simulation software uses machine and component data to provide a precise, virtual insight

The Unison Opt2Sim makes importing and extracting tube data simple for the user

Finally, there is Opt2Sim Tube Scan, which is an advanced tubemeasurement tool. It provides rapid scanning of physical tube geometry and extraction of tube data, and incorporates ‘Compare to Master’ and intuitive functions in the event corrections are required. “We are confident that we now offer the most comprehensive suite of tube simulation software available,” added Unison’s Alan Pickering. “Unison Opt2Sim makes importing and extracting tube data easy and offers stepped software enhancements that take simulating the bending process, creating batch files and scanning tube coordinates to the next level. “Opt2Sim provides users with a complete end-to-end solution, from taking 3D STEP files to bending tube within a single software suite. Opt2Sim Tube Scan takes the functionality of measurement software further than ever before.”

capability and control engine are used to not only provide accurate simulation, but also enhanced collision detection. Believed to provide unique capabilities for enhanced batch processing, simulated bending takes place on an exact CAD representation of the Unison Breeze or Synergy machine that will be used. Additional options include: Selecting Opt2Sim AI provides advanced AI that will always aim to find a solution to even the most complex tube geometry, or whenever a potential collision between tube and machine is simulated. The AI feature is particularly useful with right/left machines and when assisting in the development of highly complex parts, such as those used in the oil & gas industry. Opt2Sim Work Processing System (WPS) allows multiple users to batch process multiple parts at once. Widely used in the aviation and shipbuilding sectors, Opt2Sim WPS offers rapid ROI, by enabling many hundreds of different tube profiles to be processed in a matter of hours.

Unison Tube LLC www.unisonltd.com

Barnshaws delivers nearly 400 tonnes of precision bent square hollow section

Barnshaws to precision curve 260 tonnes of 400 x 400 x 12.5mm SHS and 132 tonnes of 300 x 300 x 12.5mm SHS. A key concern while bending these sections was to preserve a consistent internal cross section, which ensures that the sections provide the utmost structural strength. was required

The design of the structure required a large amount of steelwork, including a high quantity of precision curved SHS. To deliver these curved sections, Billington Structures Ltd turned to metal bending expert, Barnshaws Section Benders. Greg North, group commercial director at Barnshaws, said: “We also have a strong reputation for being the go-to company for large, complex structural bending.”

BARNSHAWS section benders has provided its steel bending services to the new Sandwell Aquatics Centre in Birmingham on behalf of Billington Structures Ltd. The centre, which provides first class swimming facilities, including a 50m Olympic-sized swimming pool and a 25m diving pool, features a structure roof made out of nearly 400 tonnes of square hollow section (SHS) precision curved by Barnshaws.

Barnshaws Section Benders www.barnshaws.com

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NOVEMBER 2022