All-electric tube bending now available for tube diameters of 7 inches/175 mm

Breeze 170 machines open up new application possibilities for aerospace and shipbuilding companies. The ability to accommodate 175 mm (7 inches) diameter tubing makes it particularly suitable for handling lightweight high-strength ducting manufactured from specialist materials. Fast, software-controlled set-up enables the Breeze 170 to handle batch sizes as small as one in a very efficient manner. The new large diameter capability is already being proven in the field, with one of the latest Unison machines recently entering service in an aerospace manufacturing facility, and a second machine currently being built to support naval shipbuilding.

All-electric machines have become preferred over hydraulic actuation in tube bending applications involving precision shaping, exotic alloy materials, or small batch sizes, says Unison's CEO Alan Pickering. Expanding the scope of all-electric machines to seven inch diameters provides the means for new classes of user to improve their production procedures and processes - allowing radical improvements in a large number of areas including machine set-up, the operator skills required, minimum batch sizes, post-bend testing operations, and the need to make sample bends on new material batches to understand the material's characteristics.

In addition to launching larger machines, Unison is releasing a new generation of its Unibend Control Software, which the company believes delivers the most versatile tube-bending capability available worldwide. Among many new software features are a brand new intuitive graphical user interface, and a simple bending simulation facility to help users develop collision-free programs for the most complex part shapes.