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Products
Bend Dies are one of the three basic tools for tube bending (bend die, clamp die, pressure die). The function of the bend die is to establish the radius in the bending operation.
One-Piece Bend Dies
- the longest wearing and best performing bend dies
- most affordable and simplest bend die
- usually dedicated to a specific part
Platform Bend Dies
- accommodate a small center line radius
- eliminates the center stud or adds support
Inserted Bend Dies
- major benefit is versatility
- replaceable grip section avoids replacing whole bend die
- different length inserts can be made for different grip lengths
Rule of thumb: the more versatility designed into a tool, the less it can do well. Difficult bends require more specialized tool. If you are not sure what you need contact us for free, expert advice.
Elliptical Tube Grooves - Bending Without Mandrels
TBC is the industry leader in elliptical or non-mandrel bending technology (check our article on this website).
When it can be used, elliptical tooling can greatly increase production efficiency. But, elliptical bending is not for every situation. It’s very specific to tube O.D., wall thickness, material, and product specs.
- bending with an elliptical tube groove can eliminate the need for a mandrel
- because it is actually reshaping and resizing the shape of the tube, a lot of the machine’s ability is used up in working the tube
- a machine’s elliptical capacity is only 5/8 of its round capacity
- to see if elliptical bending is feasible in your application, visit our Custom Mandrel Selector
For more extensive information see our Non-Mandrel Bending article.
TBC can customize shape geometry per your application, producing predicable results the first time.
Round, Square, Rectangle and Extruded Shapes
- Square and rectangle tubing is usually bent using leaf tooling.
- Without leaf tooling, the vertically expanded tube will lock into the bend die.
- Once the leaf is removed, the tube is free to be extracted
- Split dies execute the same process, by splitting horizontally. This is usually done by a hydraulic actuator.
Single, Stacking or Integral Multi-radius Bend Dies
T.B.C. makes bend dies for multi-radius benders in individual stackable pieces or in one solid multi-radius bend die. These are generally used on complex multi-radius parts.
Compund Grip Section Bend Dies
Compound grip section bend dies are for gripping on a previous bend, with little or no amount of straight, or to orientate a tube for a second set up.
Custom Grip Surfaces
To assist in clamping, the grip area of our bend dies can be customized as follows:
- The grip surface can be altered with serrations, or
- We can apply a sandpaper-like carbide surface
Interlocking Bend Dies
Tooling from TBC comes standard with reverse interlock. This achieves better bends with less marking, by aligning the clamp and pressure dies into the bend die and maintaining alignment of the pressure die during bending. This alignment of the tube groove also aids in set up.
Clamp dies are second in the series of three basic tools required for tube bending (bend die, clamp die, pressure die). The function of the clamp die is to secure the straight section of the tube during the bending process.
Compound Grip Section Clamp Dies
Designed for:
- For gripping on a previous bend
- little or no amount of straight
- or to orientate a tube for a second set up.
Reach Adjusted Clamp Dies
- for quick change or multi-radius setups.
- eliminates excessive movements to the bolsters during set up, significantly reducing set up times.
Custom Grip Surfaces
To assist in clamping, the grip area of our clamp dies can be customized as follows:
- The grip surface can be altered with serrations, or
- We can apply a sandpaper-like carbide surface
Round, Square, Rectangle & Extruded Shapes
- Square and rectangle tubing is usually bent using leaf tooling.
- Without leaf tooling, the vertically expanded tube will lock into the bend die.
- Once the leaf is removed, the tube is free to be extracted
- Single leaf tooling has one plate. For highly cosmetic parts, double leaf tooling provides the least marking.
Clearances for Serpentines
Gooseneck clamp dies as well as other specialized tooling can be custom engineered to clear serpentine tubing.
Pressure dies are third in the series of three basic tools required for tube bending (bend die, clamp die, pressure die). The function of the pressure die is to apply pressure to the tube from the radius during the bending process.
Static or Traveling Pressure Dies
Static pressure dies do not move. The tube simply drags through during the bend.
Traveling pressure dies (also called follower or dynamic pressure dies) move with the bend.
Benefits:
- theycan reduce galling and marking of the tube by alleviating some drag during bending
- traveling at bend speed also reduces wall thinning on the outside of the tube
- using pressure die assist (at faster than bend spend), some benders can minimize wall thinning.
Elliptical Tube Grooves - Bending Without Mandrels
TBC is the industry leader in elliptical or non-mandrel bending technology (check our article on this website).
But, elliptical bending is not for every situation. It’s very specific to tube O.D., wall thickness, material, and product specs.
- bending with an elliptical-shaped tube groove can eliminate the need for a mandrel
- because it’s actually reshaping and resizing the shape of the tube, a lot of the machine’s ability is used up in working the tube
- a machine’s elliptical capacity is only 5/8 of its round capacity
- to see if elliptical bending is feasible in your application, visit our Custom Mandrel Selector and see “Difficulty Factor”
For more extensive information see our Non-Mandrel Bending article.
TBC can customize shape geometry per your application, producing predicable results.
Round, Square, Rectangle & Extruded Shapes
- Square and rectangle tubing is usually bent using leaf tooling.
- Without leaf tooling, the vertically expanded tube will lock into the bend die.
- Once the leaf is removed, the tube is free to be extracted
- Single leaf tooling has one plate. For highly cosmetic parts, double leaf tooling provides the least possible marking.
Reach Adjusted Pressure Dies
- For quick change and multi-radius setups up to 6” O.D.
- eliminate excessive movements to the bolsters during setup
- depending on your application a reach adjusted pressure die may save setup time and increase production efficiency
Wiper dies are required tools in the five part tube bending method (bend die, clamp die, pressure die, wiper die, and mandrel). Five-piece processes are required when the ovality of the tube needs to be maintained.
- for high production runs, inserted wiper dies enable you to replace just the tip area, reducing cost of both tips and down time
- TBC can make wiper dies with standard round sizes up to 4.0 Ø
- larger and extruded shapes can be custom made
- wiper dies are available in steel and aluminum-bronze (for bending stainless steel)
Recut Service
Tube Bending Concepts offers wiper die re-cut service to save time and money
Lube Optional
To reduce galling and friction lube holes can be placed as needed.
Mandrels are required in the five part tube bending method (bend die, clamp die, pressure die, wiper die, and mandrel). Five-part processes are required when the ovality of the tube needs to be maintained.
Dura Link® Universal Flex Mandrel Linkage
In 2000 Tube Bending Concepts received a patent on Dura Link® linkage for ball mandrels.
Background
In the 1950’s the H-style link was invented and it was a big success. It has remained the standard of the industry despite some notable shortcomings.
After many years of studying the H-style linkage, in 2000 Tube Bending Concepts started from the ground up with a totally new link design. This was the birth of Dura Link®. The key design features of Dura Link®:
-- neck diameters, wall thickness and shoulder dimensions have been maximized for optimum strength
--it incorporates a stronger center link with a dovetail between two halves
--features a standardized pitch length, the same for all sizes
--won’t fit outdated H-style balls and shanks
As a result of these refinements, Dura Link® is up to 26% stronger per an independent destructive test in 2005.
Dura Link changes the way you think about production. When an H-style mandrel fails you must undertake a repair. The repair time is bad as is the cost of the repair, but the loss of uptime is much worse.
If you could cut your link usage in half or by three-fourths, would it be worth it for you to switch to Dura Link®? What does it mean to your uptime if your downtime is cut in half?
Different Mandrel Materials
Working with different tubing materials requires different mandrel construction:
- stainless steel must be bent with an aluminum bronze mandrel
- mandrels can also be made with a durable plastic, eliminating the need for lube
Standard & Custom Sizes Available
TBC has mandrels in standard sizes or can make custom sizes to fit any tube size.
Different Types of Mandrels
Depending on what the Custom Mandrel Selector suggests, TBC can supply:
- plug mandrels
- formed end mandrels
- ball mandrels
- integral or chain link mandrels
Square or Rectangle Tube Bending with a Mandrel
- integral link or a chain link mandrel to provide internal support
- our chain link mandrels are designed with a bolt in shank link which is superior to a pined link
Patented Dura Link® Universal Flex Mandrel Linkage
Universal flex linkage hasn’t truly been refined since the 1950’s. With Dura Link® ball mandrels have finally come up to date.
Features & Benefits of Dura Link®:
- Dura Link® uses a higher quality tool steel which is superior to our competitors’ less expensive material.
- Dura Link® tool steel boasts a higher tensile and yield strength = longer lasting, more uptime, more profit
- dovetail design helps maintain strength where older designs are prone to failure. Linkage failure = factory downtime. Dura-Link=increased uptime
- whole family of link sizes has a uniform pitch length, ensuring the strength and integrity of the link design remains proportional to tube size
- .375" Ø through 8.0" Ø in stock
- for rebuilding DURA LINK® mandrels, we stock linkage to keep production going
- all links are replaceable and in stock at our factory, including shank links, center links, and end links
- customers can also tailor a mandrel by adding or subtracting a link. To minimize ovality loss, just add a ball and link. To reduce slippage, take a ball and link out.
For years Tube Bending Concepts has been the leader in developing controlled wrinkle tooling for major manufacturers. Our vast experience with wrinkles is the envy of the tooling industry. For this reason copycats and bootlegs of TBC tooling are very common.
Controlled wrinkle bending is for very specific applications. In conjunction with an elliptical shaped tube groove, it’s generally used for making mandrel-less bends with high difficulty factors.
Controlled wrinkle tools help control wall thinning on the outside and thickening on the inside. This forming of the tube consumes excess material on the inside of the bend in a wrinkle pattern.
Common Applications:
- Heat Exchangers
Heat exchangers are the primary product for wrinkled tube. The purposeful convoluted shapes cause the desired effect of heat dissipation. Common tubing materials for these applications are stainless steel and aluminized.
- Automotive Exhaust
Wrinkle tooling is also used in making automotive exhaust. Although not flow efficient, the tooling can provide fast bending.
Clamp Die Bolsters
T.B.C. makes clamp die bolsters for replacement or for dedicated setup assemblies. This reduces setup time.
Pressure Die Bolsters - Static or Sliding
By converting to a sliding pressure die, it can reduce galling and marking of the tube by alleviating drag during bending. By traveling at bend speed or greater it can also reduce wall thinning on the out side of the tube.
Clamping Plugs & Handles
To help solve tube slippage, a clamp plug keeps the tube from collapsing in the grip area during bending. Some clearance can be gained over fittings or end forms by using plugs. The down side is plugs only work for the first bend.
Bend Die Risers
Bend die risers are helpful to place the bend die in the second position for clearance, or to adapt tooling from another machine.
Tube Stops for Static or Booster Type Benders
Repeatability is crucial, so TBC can supply tube stops for most machines. Made either solid or with mandrel clearance. Depending on the machine, tube stops come standard with tooling orders. On a booster bender the tube stop is what locates and pushes the tube during the bend.
Center Studs
With small centerline radiuses sometimes the center stud must be stepped down for clearance. When cross running a set of tools on another bender T.B.C. has conversion studs.
Clamp Die & Pressure Die Hangers
TBC can supply all hardware to mount your tooling. Hardware comes standard with complete tooling sets. Hangers for clamp and pressure dies make it feasible to make adjustments as well as keep things in repeatable alignment.
- TBC readily makes jaws for most benders, such as Eaton Leonard, Pines, Keins, Chiyoda, MiiC and others
- TBC can make jaws in any size, to fit most tubes or extrusions
- sometimes to get the carriage closer to the bend die, extended jaw sets are required--TBC can help
Hard Chrome
Hard chrome is the industry standard for coating mandrels, mandrels being used for bending most materials except stainless steel.
- provides good wear protection and lubricity having a low friction coefficient of .17
- approximately .0005” thick.
- hardness around 900 HV
- withstands temperatures up to 1200°
Thermal Diffusion Process
Thermal diffusion is a slick carbide coating.
- friction coefficient of .2 - .3
- thickness of .0002 - .0003”
- about 3200 – 3800 HV in hardness
- can hold up to 1100° temperature
Titanium Nitride (TiN)
Titanium nitride is a vanadium carbide spray.
- a good general purpose coating
- friction coefficient of .4
- thickness of .0002 –.0004”
- micro hardness of 2700 HV
- max working temperature of 1000°
Titanium Carbonitride (TiCN)
- friction coefficient of .3
- thickness of .0002 –.0004”
- hardness of 4000 HV
- max working temperature of 800°
Carbide Spray
The best way to describe carbide spray is “spray-on sandpaper”. It provides roughness to any grip area it is applied. Instead of eroding the material it adds dimension, so that must be taken into consideration. An added benefit: carbide spray coating can be stripped and reapplied.