Highly Automated All-Electric Six-Inch Diameter Tube Bender

The ELECT XL150 all-electric tube bender from BLM GROUP USA (Wixom, MI) brings advanced levels of accuracy and productivity to the bending of tubes up to 6 in diameter. The unit can handle difficult applications with little or no straight between bends or where tight radius bends are required, and has already found a home in the automotive, agricultural machinery, construction machinery, and shipbuilding industries, among others.

The ELECT XL150 boasts an array of productivity and accuracy enhancing features. The precise control and positioning of its electric axes ensures that optimum working parameters can be reproduced exactly, first time, every time, without reliance on operator expertise. Its multi-stack tooling (up to eight stacks) allows several bend tools to be pre-mounted to minimize tool changeover. Incorporating the direct gearbox drive within the compact head assembly gives the ELECT XL150 much greater clearance around the bend head area. The machine also combines conventional and variable radius bends in the same automatic bend cycle.

One key to the ELECT XL150 superior performance is its powerful CNC controller. When a part program is selected all the critical settings for the machine and tooling are automatically managed by the CNC (e.g., clamping, pressure die, mandrel position/retraction, centerline radius, etc.), and correct positional and torque settings are assured. Remote access permits offline management and troubleshooting.

An overview of BLM tube bending machines with one or two bending heads, left and/or right hand in-process bending, fixed or variable radii, up to four sets of RH mounted tooling and four sets of LH mounted tooling. Loading and unloading devices are also integrated as an option. Innovations include the manufacture of variable radii in space with universal tooling designed to produce various sized radii, with the help of simple graphic programming.

Another key to ELECT XL150 performance is VGP3D, its easy-to-use yet advanced 3D graphical programming software. By simply inputting the component’s bend coordinates the software can quickly provide users with real-time simulation of the bending operation and automatically correct for possible collision points. VG3PD optimizes productivity, in some cases by as much as 200 percent, while simultaneously enhancing quality and minimizing operator involvement. The software also permits off-line programming for high degrees of both automation and production planning.

BLM GROUP is a global leader in tube processing solutions. Its product line includes laser cutting, cold sawing, bending, end-forming, and tube measurement equipment, as well as wire bending machines. With more than 50 years of tube experience and thousands of applications, the BLM GROUP is a leader in the manufacture of tube fabrication equipment.

BLM GROUP USA, 29380 Beck Road, Wixom, MI 48393, 248-560-0080, sales@blmgroupusa.com, www.blmgroup.com.