Choosing the correct tool

To ensure you always get a good bend it's vital to choose and then correctly use the correct set of tools for the job. The right choice leads to high accuracy bending and avoids major problems or defects. Using bad or unsuitable tools will lead to defects and problems, which could end up, have an effect on the functionality of the bending parts.

The basic input parameters for choosing the best tools are the details about the parts to be bent and the tools.

In terms of part to be bent, it is the geometric parameters of the pipe (OD, WT, CLR, DOB  and XYZ).

From the perspective of the machines, it depends on the functions of the given machine - whether it is a single-stack or multistack machine, and the options for connecting individual tools, but also the age and technical state of the bending machine can affect the design of the tools and their price.

The aim and type of production also has a significant effect on the future tools from the perspective of accuracy, stiffness, functionality, interchangability and other required properties. All of these attributes are important for designing sets of tools and have noticeable effect on the final price.

For these reasons it is important when choosing tools to consider whether the tools are meant for series or one-off production and also for what application it is intended. For example for bending strong-walled tubes around a large radius you can use standard tools with no modifications. On the other hand if you need to bend thin-walled tubes around a very small radius for the aeronautical industry, you will need precise tools, which have special modifications like INTERLOCK or LIP, you can find more info about this in the Guide to Bending.