Tubing is manufactured as a straight and rigid component, and yet often is required to curve around corners or objects in order to perform its required task. To achieve this, hot or cold form tube bending is undertaken to mold the tubing to the desired shape. Read More…
Leading Manufacturers
Sharpe Products
New Berlin, WI | 800-879-4418Founded in 1990, Sharpe Products is an ISO 9001:2015 certified company specializing in industrial and commercial pipe and tube bending, laser cutting, end-forming or other custom fabrication services. In addition, we offer a robust line of architectural handrail fittings and accessories such as brackets, connectors, disks, end-caps, flanges, newel caps and spheres.
McHone Industries
Salamanca, NY | 716-945-3380McHone Industries is a leading manufacturer in tube fabrication. We pride ourselves in being 100% American-made metal manufacturers. With a team of talented in-house engineers, who have years of expertise in the tube fabricating industry, McHone Industries pushes the boundaries of design. Whether their clients' project is straightforward or complex, we are willing to take on any task. We offer services, including inventory management programs and extended terms, along with our manufacturing.
Diversico Industries, Inc.
Brooklyn Center, MN | 763-537-5919Diversico Industries provides tube bending, tube assemblies, stainless steel tubing and flared tubing. Since 1960, we have been serving consumer, medical and aerospace industries with our quality tube designing and fabricating services. We are ISO 9001:2000 certified. For additional information on what we can do for you, contact Diversico today!
Curtis Products, Inc.
South Bend, IN | 574-289-4891Curtis Products provides tube fabrication services for aluminum, copper, steel and stainless steel tubes, with OD sizes ranging from 1/8" to 3". We set the standard for high quality tube fabrication. Whether you need tube bending, end forming, threading, welding, brazing or a particular finish, we can do it.
Alert Tubing Fabricators, Inc.
Loves Park, IL | 815-633-5065Alert Tubing Fabricators has been in business since 1965. We have always enjoyed a solid reputation in the tube fabrication and tube bending business. We offer Precision tube and Pipe Bending services to Aerospace, Defense, and Commercial customers. We also offer End Forming, and Aerospace Welding Services. We also offer Aerospace quality Bellows for many industries.
Tube Bending – United Metal Fabricators, Inc.Canopies, trusses, bridges, sculptures, exercise equipment and furniture, plumbing and machinery all require angles and bends in tubing, and industries such as agricultural, construction, automotive and others all depend upon and use several lengths and diameters of tubing on a daily basis. Tubes can be bent either manually or automatically, or using a combination of both methods.
Press bending is a common method in which a die in the shape of the desired bend is forced against the pipe, causing it to form the same angle as the die. Some tube bending machines use mandrels for the process of mandrel bending and to create a cleaner, more uniform bend. This is undertaken while the tubing is being formed and thus is often a hot forming process. Other machines take pre-formed tubing and force it to bend around a series of rollers, in a similar process to tube rolling, or using a die and compression handle to bend the pipe.
The maximum angle at which a pipe is bent is usually 90°, although it can range greatly depending on intended use. A length of tube can be bent a single time, or multiple times if needed, but due to the lack of internal support within a tube, the bending often results in a distortion of the circle cross-section into a ovular shape. This deformation is seen more clearly on tubing with thin walls as they provide less resistance to structural change and are more prone to distortion.
The pipe bending process, whether it is hot or cold, alters the properties of the pipe, and therefore different factors needs to be taken into consideration as part of the manufacturing decisions. The wider a pipe is, the smaller the ratio of distortion will be according to pipe capacity etc.
Compression occurs within the pipe as it is bent, and this can result in wrinkles or waves on the surface of the pipe which can interfere with other processes. Bending the tubing can create areas of weakness but this is dependent on the quality of the machinery used, the complexity of the bend and the skill or experience of the workmen.
