Feature Production equipment
Bending automation helps shape future for Californian fabricator
Reducing process steps is the driving factor behind tube bending specialist, SF Tube’s latest machinery investment. The San Francisco based fabricator has purchased an all- electric, software-controlled tube bender from Unison
T
he new CNC automation is pro- viding much more flexibility for the fabricator compared with its existing hydraulically-actuated machines. The machine allows it to produce more complex tubular shapes including rotary draw bent and roll formed curves in a single machining operation - parts that in some cases used to require successive operations on up to three different machines. “Simplifying production processes is particularly important just now when most client budgets are static or declin- ing,” says Rafael Nunez, SF Tube’s director of business development. “Being based in an area with very expensive labour costs, machinery investments must also help our skilled labour be more productive. The Unison machine’s software-driven set-up, soft- ware-controlled repeatability of config- uration, and bending versatility gives us this - reducing our overheads to help us continue offering the benefits of local metalwork subcontracting ser- vices to Californian businesses at extremely competitive rates.” The new machine is additionally helping SF Tube to develop its busi- ness. The company works in numerous industrial sectors including transporta- tion, aerospace, medical devices and
military equipment, and the require- ments for higher levels of precision and the complexity of shape designs are continually escalating. Handrails for buses and trains are typical of this trend. One current project is a highly styled handrail calling for two different bend radiuses and a roll formed curve. This part used to be made in three stages on three different machines. It can now be fabricated in one operation on the Unison bender - reducing the labour costs on the job alone by some 70 per cent, as well as reducing other costs including energy consumption, scrap and floor space.
Energy saving
The energy reduction compared with hydraulic machines is viewed as signifi- cant, as the all-electric machines only consume any significant power when actually making a bend - unlike the hydraulic machines with their almost constant demand. SF Tube is currently engaged on an energy reduction pro- gram. Following the first two initiatives: the introduction of the all-electric bender - which replaces a hydraulic machine - and the changeover of factory lighting to low energy types, the 52- strong company has already reduced its monthly electricity bill by over $1,000.
The Unison CNC tube bending
machine is allowing SF Tube to add value for clients, in terms of improving product quality, pre- cision and simplify- ing manufacture
A video of the Unison machine in action at SF Tube can be seen at: http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=zgU vpxi54iQ
The ability to make more complex bent shapes is beginning to help SF Tube to win new business. One cus- tomer has asked the company to look at concept shapes and explain what is technically achievable using the all- electric tube bender, to help its indus- trial designers produce more visually attractive and distinctive designs. Tubular components based on diffi- cult-to-bend materials such as titanium are another new business target.
Forward looking
The new machine is a member of Unison’s Breeze family, and is capable of bending tubing with outside diame- ters of up to two inches, using rotary draw bending and/or roll form tooling. The machine was sold to SF Tube by Unison’s North American partner, Horn Machine Tools.
Compact actuator provides push and pull B
irmingham-based Industrial Washing Machines (IWM) is a family business that offers a full range of standard washing and sanitising systems to manufacturers
across the industrialised world. A large proportion of the company’s business however also comes from its ability to design and manufacture special purpose equipment to satisfy unique washing needs. Indeed, it was for a bespoke machine built to handle containers up to 1000 x 1200 x 1200mm that Framo Morat Linear Chains from engi- neering component supplier, R.A. Rodriguez were specified. The size these vessels
require them to be loaded onto the machine’s receiving station by forklift truck whereby the first of the Framo linear chain actuators pushes the item, weighing up to 300kg, into the washing cabinet. Its counterpart at the other end of the machine is responsible for pulling the clean and dry vessel from the cabinet and onto a discharge platform, ready for unload by forklift. “This actuator offered the necessary strength to do the job and enabled the design to remain compact and relatively simple to control,” explains managing director, Carl Hollier. For R.A. Rodriguez, the addition of the Framo Morat Linear Chain to its range has proved a popular choice for applica- tions calling for long strokes where space is at a premium. The special profile of the chain with interlocking fingers at one end enables it to be rolled up for efficient storage in one direction and form a rigid thrust device in the other. R.A. Rodriguez T: 01462 670044
www.rarodriguez.co.uk Factory Equipment MAY 2011 Enter 306
“The tube fabrication supply base is not as commoditised as the sheet metal industry, and some workshops have changed very little, relying on their traditional skills and tools” says Kent Horn of Horn Machine Tools. “SF Tube is very forward looking and has grasped the potential of all-electric bending as a platform that enables it to add value for clients, in terms of improving product quality, precision and simplifying manufacture.” SF Tube began in 1987 by producing parts for buses, and has grown to become one of California’s premier tube subcontractors, producing over 100,000 miles of tube and pipe parts a year. The company now has over 20 CNC and semi-automatic bending machines.
Unison
www.unisonltd.com
T: 01723 582868 Enter 305
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