How It Works

Nonmandrel bending's primary objective is to bend tubing that would normally require some form of internal support without using that support. To achieve this goal of bending round tubing without internal support, a combination of two factors are applied to the tube simultaneously during the bending process.

First, the diameter of the tube is reduced at the point of bend, while at the same time, the circumference of the tube is reshaped into a structural form for support.

When the tubing is hard, such as stainless steel, hard copper, or titanium, good bends can be achieved with a fairly generous structural shape. Soft tubing is much more difficult to control and may require a more radically-shaped tube groove.

Because the tube at the point of bending is in a state of plastic deformation, that deformation will remain permanent after removing the load that caused it. So, after bending, the result is a piece of tubing that used to be round, but which has taken on a very new and distinctive shape during the bending process.