Pipe bending: Sporting cycle time requirements successfully met
Pressure of competition and delivery reliability in the automotive sector also demand always new heights from the mechanical engineering. Optimal cycle times and automation systems that allow easy handling are crucial. Specialized in complex machinery solutions for tube processing is transfluid from Schmallenberg, Germany. For a renowned automotive supplier the german solution providers now developed an automated cell for the production of tubes for fuel lines. Technical platform for the customized production cell from the product range t motion are established transfluid technologies. Altogether the manufacturing cell consists of a transfer endforming system and three pipe bending machines that can perform a tube bending time of about 2 seconds per bend including lenght positioning and rotation.
Info t motion: http://www.tube-processing-machines.com/automation-systems.php
Challenge accepted
The customer’s requirements were even for experienced design engineers a sporting challenge. Welded stainless steel tubes with 6 or 12 mm diameter and different lengths are to be processed with extremely short cycle times. For the tubes with lengths from 80 to 1300 mm different forming operations on both ends have to be possible. Geometries with up to seven bends are manufactured. The welding seam has to be controlled and oriented, a swivel nut has to be assembled, and a marking of the tubes is carried out directly in the process. A complex task for the transfluid development team.
extremely short cycle time required
For short tubes, the cycle time was with 3.4 seconds ambitious, but clearly fixed. Longer tubes should be in processing no longer than 8 seconds – mass production just has it’s own demands. As long as possible operating time and quick set-up times were finally another handling requirement. The transfluid automation system was finally designed with a supply volume of one hour of production, and has a high-performance storage and loading system. In the control system all process parameters are entered and permanently saved. Recalibration for new setup is not necessary because of electric axes – thermal changes do not occur at fully electric systems this guarantees an excellent repeatability. New setup parameter can be automatically reloaded from the control system. Additional advantages of the fully electric system are the high energy efficiency and low noise emissions.
New drive concept provides optimal endforming performance
To provide the necessary endforming capacity of 20 t even fully electric, a newly developed concept of servo motor and transmission device was used. This concept allows for a very energy efficient and fast tube processing. Such an ambitious cycle time presents also new challenges for the handling. transfluid focuses on a modular handling system that manages both the loading of the straight tubes in the forming and bending machines as well as the controlled unloading of the bent parts in a reliable process. Again pushing forward the technology with this solution transfluid herein even see the motivation to develop with fresh ideas further customized solutions.
The solution for tubes: Visit transfluid at the EuroBLECH 2012: Hall 11, Stand E02
Also meet transfluid at facebook: https://www.facebook.com/transfluid
transfluid Maschinenbau GmbH – the solution for tubes
Since 1988 transfluid continually improved technologies in tube processing to meet customers“ demands, offering optimum, tailor-made solutions in machine and plant construction, that are used in the automobile, ship building and furniture industries as well as the construction of railings and conveyor technology. The Schmallenberg-based company has become a global brand with service offices in Europe and Asia.
transfluid“s product portfolio offers perfect solutions in five different machine categories, that meet all the requirements in tube processing. t bend includes semi- and fully-automatic tube bending machines as well as large-diameter tube bending machines.. t form represents high-quality axial, rolling and combined tube forming machines. Automation systems with sophisticated concepts for bending and forming technology belong to the t motion category. With t cut, transfluid offers tube cutting machines in different system variants und t clean is transfluid“s range of tube cleaning machines for guaranteed cleanliness of work pieces and pipes.
www.tube-processing-machines.com
Kontakt:
transfluid® Maschinenbau GmbH
Stefanie Flaeper
Hünegräben 20-22
57392 Schmallenberg
+49 2972 97 15 – 0
info@transfluid.de
http://www.tube-processing-machines.com
Pressekontakt:
psv relations
Stefan Köhler
Ruhrststraße 9
57078 Siegen
+49 (0) 271 77001616
s.koehler@psv-marketing.de
http://www.psv-relations.de