Robot-assisted tube bending system does not require complex programming

transfluid® has developed a tube processing system that involves robot handling of the material for bending tubing in lengths up to 177 in. It completes 47 bends in 140 sec. The system was developed for a tube fabricator working with tubing that was already shaped or fitted with flanges.

The process involves inserting a bundle of tubes into a feeder. The tubes are oriented individually by symmetrical rotation according to the positioning of the flanges. Each tube then is picked up by one of the two robots and transferred to a movable spanning device with a high retaining system designed for longer tubing. The spanning device allows the robots to process the tubes on one or two sides in parallel. The time required for processing each tube is less than 3 sec.

Both robots have 7 axes with drive systems and can bend right and left. Isometric data can be uploaded directly online from a CAD system, so complex programming of the robots is not necessary.