The tube bending and manipulation industry is adapting to meet the advanced needs of clients. This can include some very challenging demands, including achieving tight radii with tricky products like thin wall titanium tubes and exotic materials. We want to have a closer look at this here. We’ll explore the most important factors so you know what to focus on. Then, if you need reliable solutions like tube ring rolling, you can rely on us.

Complexity

Tight radii are almost a new norm for tube benders today. Many industries demand them to account for space limitations. This includes aerospace, automotive, energy, and more. It translates to designs with more complex shapes.

Delivering the tubing to meet the demands can be very difficult. If even one of the key elements is missing it may be impossible. So, it is absolutely crucial to understand what you need.

Material knowledge

The first thing a tube bender must know is what type of material they are dealing with. This isn’t just a simple case of saying it will be titanium or stainless steel. The benders need as much information as possible to understand how the material will behave and what is possible before it breaks. If you want to avoid creating lots of scrap and wasting money, particularly with tight radii bending and tube ring rolling, you need the right information.

The most important thing to check is the amount of stretch the material will allow. Always consult the material spec and have a look at the elongation test data. It will tell you what kind of stretch percentage to expect. You can then see if it aligns with what you require for your project. Remember you can push some materials further, but others like titanium are less forgiving.

It’s also vital to look at how the materials cope with bending speeds. Some, like stainless steel, prefer high speeds. However, others such as titanium don’t like to stretch, so you need to bend them slowly to ensure they won’t break.

The right tooling

Using mandrels is a must if you want to achieve tight radii, especially with challenging materials. They support the inner diameter of the tubing during bending, preventing it from collapsing. Without them, complex bends are almost impossible to do. So, you need to think very carefully about what tools to use for bending, tube ring rolling, and other types of fabrication.

If you have critical bends, a spoon mandrel may be sufficient. The profile will support the tube ID. But, if you have even more critical bends, a ball mandrel is better. It will provide support throughout the full bend zone. Crucially, you must ensure these mandrels have enough balls (you may need as many as six for tight radii).

Lubrication

The final critical factor is to use lubricant effectively. The main goal here is to reduce the chance of the materials tearing or galling. Again you need to keep in mind what type of material you are using. It’s also vital to consider that some industries have strict requirements on what you can use; always choose an appropriate lubricant.

Expert tube ring rolling services and more

If you want reliable services, you can trust Multiform Tubes Engineering Ltd. We understand what is required of us and what it takes to work with various materials. As a result, we can provide quality results every time, even for demanding designs.

Contact us today and tell us more about what you need, including the material you have chosen.