TUBE NEWS TN June 2019 | Page 21

Expanded processing, greater output With the new and continued developments from transfluid, each manufacturing cell with two robots can do more than just bending tubes from both sides: each of these bending robots can also work on their own different geometry. The system can therefore be used in a very efficient way and the output is significantly greater. “With the software we have developed we have set ourselves a new goal, which is to make the processes much simpler. The bending data will be generated automatically from the coordinates, without the need to program the robots”, sums up Stefanie Flaeper. Bending and Handling, without costly and time- consuming programming The latest generation of bending robots also offers safer handling. The position where the robot grabs the tube in the magazine and the position where it grabs the tube to remove and deposit it can be retrieved from pre-programmed settings. This means that the operator has to do almost no programming of the bending program or the handling process. It is simply retrieved from stored data. It is also possible to process components that have been bent and put aside by the robots without any problems, even if there are potential collisions, because of the long segments. This is because the last bend can be done on the “floating” tube, just above the unloading position. The whole system is managed through the bending machine controls. This has the advantage that you can work with x, y and z data, but also with lengths and bending angles, just like with the standard bending machines. It is not necessary to have special knowledge of how to program a robot. To keep the set-up time as short as possible, the robots have preloaded settings that include the additional axes. This makes it possible for the operator to complete any tool changes in a very short time. The robots can be positioned next to each other in specific positions. By pressing a button, the system will return to the start position. With the latest generation of tube bending robots, transfluid has once more advanced and made more efficient the possibilities of tube processing. . www.transfluid.net TUBE NEWS June 2019 21