Tube Bending Program for CAD Engineers? Please help. 1

[Kashif Naseem]

Hello,

I am looking for any program that allows CAD engineers to enter the tube LRA data and get the output in 3D. Once its correct, we can send that data to shopfloor for production.

I am facing alot of issues with complicated piping with several bends as it consumes quite alot of time for the operator to key in the LRA into the machine's program interface and the results are not acceptable as the operator doesn't get the angle of rotation correct the first time.

To save time, we have decided to get a program (if any) that runs on windows environment, we can key in the following values and the get the output in 3D for visualization and confirmation.

1. Length between bends
2. Angle of rotation
3. Angle between axes.
4. Bend radius

If anyone has any idea that is remotely close to what I am looking for, please let me know. I have been searching alot over the internet but to no avail.

 

[mronlinetutor]

try finite elements programs like midas NFX or abaqus or comos.



disclaimer: all calculations and comments must be checked by senior engineers before they are taken to be acceptable.

 

[3DDave]

Once it is in XYZ format you can use Excel to create orthographic plots using scatter plots; top view plots X vs Y, front view plots X vs Z, and side view plots Y vs Z. It's also trivial to create isometrics or to use the XYZ values in any 3D CAD program.

http://www.advancedtubular.wiki/index.php/Bender_to_XYZ

https://www.advancedtubular.net/bender-to-xyz-calculator.html

http://www.advancedtubularstore.com/product-p/bndr2xyz.htm

($1250, which is in line with what it cost my employer when they paid me to develop a similar program)

http://www.johnsael.com/xyz-to-lra-converter/

http://www.wintonmachine.com/reducing-programming-time-for-cnc-tube-benders/

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcen...t-xyz-coordinates-to-lra?requestedDomain=true

There is also an interesting paper on this post:

http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=408728

See

http://www.clarkfixtures.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/whitepaper.pdf

The following does a bit for calculating the bends; it applies to tubing much as it does to sheet metal.

https://hackaday.com/2016/05/18/the-art-and-science-of-bending-sheet-metal/

 

[Metalfixer]

This is an affordable program that might work for you.

http://bend-tech.com/product_infos/bt_se.html

Larry

 

[dik]

If your tube bending 'jig' provides support for the sidewalls, the deformation can be significantly different.

Dik