PRODUCT REVIEWS
All-electric tube bender
Sharpe Products , one of North America ’ s specialists in custom tube and pipe bending and tube laser cutting , has ordered the allelectric Unison Breeze CNC tube-bending machine that will form the centrepiece of Unison Tube LLC ’ s display at FABTECH in Chicago , USA ( 11-14 September 2023 ). The machine , a 100mm ( 4 ”) singlestack model , will be on display at Unison ’ s FABTECH Booth (# D41930 ) after which it will be installed at Sharpe Products ’ Wisconsinbased manufacturing plant . It will be the ninth Unison Breeze tube bender purchased by Sharpe Products since 2003 and will be used to provide additional capacity for bending tubular components for the company ’ s customer base .
Sharpe Products provides custom pipe and tube bending , laser cutting and endforming ( up to 6-inch OD ) for commercial and industrial companies throughout North America . Sharpe Products and UK-based tube-bending machinery manufacturer , Unison Ltd , have a long history of working together . Sharpe ’ s President and CEO , Paul Krickeberg , was an early convert to the idea of all-electric tube bending and bought one of the very first British-built Unison Breeze machines in the United States .
“ This latest Unison Breeze tube bending machine will help to support our ability to offer short lead times and consistent results , attributes that are essential for our customers ,” said Mr . Krickeberg . “ We ’ ve worked with Unison for numerous years and look forward to installing this next-generation machine at our plant .”
“ The new 100mm Breeze machine will bring valuable extra capacity to one of our longest-standing customers in the U . S . Equipped with the latest version of our Unibend control system , it will deliver cycletime speed improvements in the region of 25 % compared to earlier versions . It also incorporates innovative new teach routines and simulation features ,” added Stuart Singleton , VP of Unison Tube LLC .
The Breeze 100mm ( maximum tube diameter ) machine is one of Unison ’ s flagship models . The 100mm / 4 ” Breeze offers rapid set-up , fast tooling changes , rigid mechanical design and all-electric control for
Unison Breeze all-electric tube bending machine .
“ right-first-time ”, repeat subcontract work , or immediately after producing a single trial part . This makes its Breeze models suitable for businesses specialising in frequently changing , small-to-medium batch production runs .
Other single-stack Unison Breeze machines operated by Sharpe Products include 80mm ( 3 ”) and 100mm ( 4 ”) variants . Sharpe also has 76mm ( 3 ”), 80mm ( 3 ”) and 130mm ( 5 ”) multi-stack Breeze machines , each able to accommodate several tools for rapid changeover between bending cycles . n
www . sharpeproducts . com
www . unisonltd . com
Sheet-metal forming lines
Schuler will showcase its broad product portfolio for forming technology at the Blechexpo trade fair from 7-10 November 2023 in Stuttgart , Germany .
“ Our sheet-metal forming lines are almost as diverse as the parts produced on them . They range from the larger-than-man-sized , C-frame press for packaging to press lines filling factory halls that form car doors and engine hoods , among other things . Notching presses for electrical sheet and production lines for battery housings are also part of the portfolio . Added to this are numerous digital applications that we have developed for forming technology . All these solutions will be at the Blechexpo trade fair in Stuttgart ( booth 8306 ),” said the German press specialist .
“ Our lines make mobility and sustainability possible in the first place because they produce , for example , the components for electric cars with a long range or electrolysers for the production of hydrogen ,” emphasised Schuler CEO , Domenico Iacovelli . “ With the help of applications from the Digital Suite , the production lines themselves can also be operated even more energy-efficiently and economically .”
Schuler ’ s single presses and multi-stage press lines are of modular design ( the “ TRITON ” concept ),
“ The most powerful line , ServoMAX , can produce many parts cost-effectively . For those who want to take advantage of all the benefits of servo technology but do not require maximum output , we now offer the ServoNEXT press line . The MechNEXT is an additional mechanical press line without servo drive ,” explained Schuler .
Laser-blanking lines cut the blanks which the press lines then form into body and structural parts . In addition to its lines with two and three laser cutting heads , Schuler has now added a more cost-effective line to its product portfolio which operates with one cutting head . All laser blanking lines allow die-free blanking .
Lighter components extend the range of vehicles , whether with electric drives or combustion engines . A new process for hotstamping aluminium is therefore now being used on hydraulic presses from Schuler in which the light metal is heated , formed and simultaneously cooled within a very short time . The result is high-strength components with low weight .
Schuler Service , with its specialists around the world , helps customers increase the output of their lines and ensure availability . “ Shopfloor Operations Management ” is the latest application from Schuler ’ s Digital Suite , which can be used to optimise and
Above : A new process for hot stamping aluminium is now being used on hydraulic presses from Schuler .
control an entire press shop . Other solutions include applications from machine vision as well as systems for component tracking and energy optimisation . Visitors to Schuler ’ s stand at Blechexpo can also learn about lines to produce electrical sheet for motors or cylindrical and prismatic battery housings .
The company ’ s subsidiary AWEBA , which will be exhibiting with Schuler , can also supply the appropriate dies for parts . Just opposite Schuler on booth 8410 at Blechexpo will be Vögtle Service GmbH , a specialist in the purchase and sale of used presses and coil lines as well as the modernisation of mechanical and hydraulic systems . n
www . schulergroup . com / blechexpo
128 | ismr . net | ISMR September 2023