BLM all-electric bending machines at MACH

First is the Elect machine, which is a 9-axis tube bender. This is aimed at those who make really complex tube components in the automotive, furniture, motorcycle and hydraulic pipe sectors. The Elect machines will be available for tube diameters of 42, 52, 63, 80, 100, 130 and 150 mm. The Elect comes with BLM's 3D visual programming software (VGP3D), which the company says ensures quick set-ups and boosts productivity by as much as 40%. Operators type in the component's bend co-ordinates and the VGP3D software then generates simulation of the bends, highlighting any potential problems or collision points. It means that operators can assess component feasibility without the need to physically bend a part. A real-life cycle time is generated at the same time, showing production costs accurately. The second line of machines is the Smart - a multi-stack CNC tube bending machine. The best feature is that it loads and unloads tubes automatically – and can do this on either the left or the right hand side. Having this automation means the machine can run unmanned for extended periods, which is advantageous in the high volume sectors that it is targeting, such as automotive and HVAC. The Smart is an 8-axis machine, so it allows components to be bent with different bend radii, or with compound bends with little or no straight between them. It is also capable of bending tubes that have been pre-assembled with fittings or endforms – so it's ideal for working with air conditioning pipes and fuel line components. The Smart uses geared motors to drive all axis movements, including the bending head, a feature that is said to eliminate backlash and improve accuracy, repeatability and reliability. Another feature is the automatic setting of clamping and pressure die axes to guarantee positional and torque settings. All of this is controlled via a Siemens digital CNC controller with double CPU. What's more, the use of absolute encoders to detect the position of single axes means that sensors are no longer required to detect the zero position. Finally, when a new bend program is selected, the machine runs a safeguard cycle automatically, with all speeds and pressures reduced by half to eliminate possible collision damage through inadvertent setting errors. Machines from BLM Group's Elect and Smart ranges will feature on Stand 4710, Hall 4 along with automated load and unload systems.