TUBE BENDING
Due to the eight-stack tooling, set up can be as simple as changing a mandrel.
its customers’ production lines. Putting these in place gave us the confidence to then look for new business and increase the variety of industries that we work with,” says Kevin Cope.
Alltube now produces a range of manipulated tube products including hydraulic tubing, tubular welded fabrications and hose assemblies for customers in the commercial vehicle, construction equipment, agricultural machinery, mining and automotive after- market parts sectors. The first four months of 2016 have all been record breaking in terms of turnover and the 35 employee business is capitalising on this with investment in a BLM ELECT 102 fully electric tube bending machine, which is a new model from BLM Group. The BLM ELECT 102 is a 10-axis
machine capable of bending tube up to 102 mm diameter with a 2mm wall thickness. It is
part of a family of seven ELECT machines, the largest of which can handle tube up to 150 mm diameter. Another key feature of the ELECT 102 is its ability to stack eight sets of tooling, which is assisting in reducing set-up times considerably at Alltube, as Paul Fuller, who took responsibility for the purchase and implementation of the machine at Alltube explains “One of the first jobs that we put onto the new machine was a 50 mm diameter stainless steel tube that had five bends, with differing bend angles and rotations. We previously did this job on an old hydraulic single axis machine, this has greatly improved our efficiency. Changeover with the tool stacking capability of the machine is measured in minutes, with most set-ups needing little more than a change of mandrel. The productivity and versatility of the BLM machine means that we now have very few limitations and
Cycle times on small to medium batches have been significantly reduced at Alltube
the ELECT 102 will certainly open up new markets for us”. This increase in productivity is due in part to the control system of the BLM ELECT 102, which manages all the critical machine setting parameters such as clamping, pressure die, mandrel and centre line radius data. The Siemens control also manages the all-electric activation of the 10-axis, with each position/adjustment saved with the individual part program. This means that when a tool is changed there is no need to perform adjustments as these are done automatically by the electric movement of the axes. The result is a significant reduction in set-up times, especially important for small and medium batch sizes. The ELECT 102 also makes use of BLM’s VGP3D programming software that guides the operator through the process, highlighting any possible collision points, optimises operations to generate the most efficient cycle time.
www.internationalmetaltube.com Alltube describes the purchase
of the BLM ELECT 102 as a ‘smooth process from start to finish’ aided by the open support of BLM Group, which documented all of the potential savings that could be made, and provided detailed training both in Italy while the machine was being proved out and also back in Daventry. “The method that BLM uses for training operators is excellent, since they left our factory we haven’t had to go back to them once with any questions, which speaks volumes,” says Paul Fuller. “The All-Electric system used by BLM is a huge benefit compared to our old hydraulic machines. The BLM simply draws the power it needs, when it needs it, whereas we had to have the hydraulic pumps running constantly. This makes a big difference to our energy consumption and the reduction in noise is a benefit to the working environment.”
IMT June 2016 31
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