Joined up thinking underpins Unison’s quick-change tooling system
2 mins read
Unison's quick-change tooling system for its Breeze all-electric 3-axis tube benders covers all of the tooling components on the machine, and includes barcode identification to verify the changeover process. On a 50 mm single-stack machine, for example, a fully validated changeover involving six basic tool components to switch from manufacturing one part to another can be accomplished in less than three minutes, says the company.
Available as an option for any Breeze tube benders for diameters up to 76 mm, Unison believes the system is likely to prove especially attractive to general metal fabricators seeking a fast and flexible means of handling small batch production. The company also points out that with high value-added tubular parts, such as those used in the aerospace industry, it enables expensive early-stage errors to be eliminated from the manufacturing process.
All elements of Unison tooling system are self-aligning and designed to minimise handling and set-up times. The machine's circular bend die and grip section mounts directly onto a threaded tool post with a large keyway, facilitating accurate placement, and is secured by a hand-tightened retainer ring. The fixed-position wiper die and holder similarly mount on a splined shaft and are tightened with a single Allen key.
The tool interface used on the outside of the tube bend also facilitates speedy changeover. The clamp die incorporates a T-shaped back which fits into a guidance slot on the machine's bending head, while the pressure die mounts directly on a hanging rail and requires no adjustment or position locking. Both dies can be removed by lifting them up and off the machine, and their replacements simply drop into place. This fast clamp and pressure die changeover method is possible on Unison machines because the dies only move horizontally.
The tube collet and mandrel rod now feature quick-change couplings, which only need a firm manual twisting action for removal and fitting. After tool changeover, the operator scans each tool on the machine using a handheld wireless barcode reader. The data is retrieved by the machine's control PC and checked against that held in the tooling library. This validation process is automatic, takes just seconds, and eliminates the risk of inadvertent human errors such as using the wrong tool to fabricate a part.
The all-electric Unison machines eliminate the iterative process of making a trial part then adjusting machine parameters and then performing another trial. On Unison tube benders, this process only needs to be performed at the very start of manufacturing; as soon as a good part has been produced, all machine control data for that part is stored and can be recalled at any time.
Following a tool change, elements of this data are used to preset the machine to the correct starting state for the new part, immediately after the toolset has been validated. The all-electric architecture of Unison tube benders, which facilitates tight control of all servomotor-based motion axes, ensures that each part will be bent accurately and consistently, regardless of whether the machine is cold or has been running all day.
