Wednesday 16 March 2016

How to Make a Pipe Bending Machine

Are you a hobbyist in need of a pipe bending machine, but don’t have enough savings to buy a good quality product? No problem. There are always other solutions that can be considered. One solution is to design and build your own pipe bender. Read on to know more.

Planning a Pipe Bending Machine
The points below elaborate on the initial planning process to build a pipe bender at home.
  • Decide on the Aim and Design of the Bender: Before you start looking at equipment, the first thing you need to decide is the purpose of the bender. What kinds of bend will it make? What will the primary manufacturing material be? How big do you want it? Let’s assume that the bender will be designed to create curvatures in steel tubes. The manufacturing material can also be steel, as it provides benefits of strength, manufacturability, and corrosion resistance. The size of the bender can be medium, so that work will be convenient, and you can move the bender around, if required.
  • Gather the Manufacturing Equipment: You will need the following materials and equipment to construct your tube and pipe bender:
    • File - 1
    • Drill - 1
    • Vise - 1
    • Nuts - 3
    • Bolts - 2
    • Metal saw -1
    • Welding machine -1
    • DIA 8 rod – 1 (120 mm in length)
    • DIA ¾ʺ pipe -1 (1500 mm in length)
    • 50 x 50 flat bar – 6 (75 mm)
    • 50 x 5 flat bar – 1 (500 mm in length)
    • U-shaped DIA 8 rod -1 (180 mm in length)
    • 40 x 40 x 5 angle mild steel – 3 (300, 300, and 500 mm in length respectively)
As this is going to be a very simple design, there won’t be any need for a diagram. You can simply move onto the manufacturing steps.

Building the Primary Bending Component
The following steps showcase various points on making the primary pipe bender component.
  • Drill Holes in the 75 mm Flat Bars: Take the file and create a u-shaped space at one end of each bar. This is done to make the bending process easier. Ensure that the spaces of all the bars align together. Collect the bars and place them on top of one another. Choose a center point, and use the drill to create holes in all the bars.
  • Tack the Flat Bars: Take one of the 8 mm rods, and place it in the hole of the top most flat bar. Let the rod come out through the other side of the hole. Use the welding machine to tack weld the rod at the hole. For the rest of the bars, use a nut to create an appropriate space between the flat bars. Then repeat the first part of this step. Continue the tack welding process till all the flat bars have been welded to the rod.
  • Cut off the 8 mm Rod: When you have completed tacking the rod to the flat bars, you may have some excess left. Use the metal saw to cut the remainder of the rod off. Cut the rod about 1ʺ, or 1 1/5ʺ away from the tack weld. If the rod has been used in the flat bar tack welding process, then leave the components as they are.
Creating the Bending Mechanism The flat bar component is a part of the bending mechanism. The steps below show you how to build it with the pipe, 50x5 mm flat bar, and u-shaped rod.
  • Curve the Component: Take the entire flat bar component and place it in the vise. Only compress the bottom end of the component. The stress at the bottom will cause the component to curve. When the curve is sufficient, remove the component from the vise.
  • Attach the Pipe to the Component: Place the component on the table, and turn it upside down. Choose one side of the bottom flat bar as the area to attach the pipe. Take the pipe and place it firmly against the side. Ensure that the edges of the pipe are flat against the last bar. Using the welding machine to attach them together.
  • Attach the 500 mm Flat Bar: This component and the u-shaped rod are used to support the bending component. One end of the flat bar will have to be attached to the pipe and curved component. Measure the distance from the end of the curved component to the pipe. Measure the same distance on the flat bar, and create a short angled cut with a small, finger-like edge at the end. Place the bar on the pipe and the curved component. The fingered edge of the bar should be on top of the curved component. Use the welding machine to tack the flat bar to the pipe and component.
  • Welding the U-shaped Rod to the Mechanism: Place the ends of the u-shaped rod between the fingered edge of the flat bar. Tack the rod to the bar and the curved component. With this step, your bending mechanism has been created.
Building the Pipe Bender Clamp
The steps below show you how to create the clamp for the pipe bending machine.
  • Create the Basic Clamping Device: Take the two 30 mm angled pieces. One piece will be used as the top of the clamp, while the other piece will be the bottom. The top piece should be placed as a turned ‘L’, while the bottom piece should be placed on its edge, resembling a ‘V’ shape. Take the top piece, and cut out a small square or rectangular space at the center of its bottom angle. Drill two holes at the ends of it. Also, drill two holes at the ends in the bottom piece as well. The four holes should align together.
  • Connect the Angles: Place bolts into the bottom angle holes, ensuring that the threads are facing upwards. Tack the bolt heads to the piece, ensuring that the bolts will not loosen, or fall off. Take the third 500 mm angle, hold it with the tipped edge facing you. Place it in the square space created earlier. Ensure that a small part of it is sticking out at the other end. Then tack the two pieces together. Connect the 300 mm pieces together using the bolts, and secure them with bolt nuts. This will complete the clamping device.
Using the Pipe Bender Your pipe bending machine is ready for use. Remove the nuts from the clamp, place the pipe between the angles, and re-secure the clamp. For added support, you can place the clamp in a vise. Take the bending mechanism, and hold it against the pipe end that requires bending. Apply pressure and lift the mechanism in an upwards direction. This will cause the pipe to bend.
This pipe bender design is simple, and may only take a day to build. You can even create multiple bending mechanisms, if you wish to bend pipes of different diameters. With it, you can go right into creating metal artworks.

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