Wednesday 27 January 2016

Tips to Make Perfect Beads Using Bead Roller


Bead rollers are the worthwhile investment to any small and medium to large sheet metal fabrication shops. They are of great help in creating several bead profiles in sheet metal panels. Additionally, these tools help strengthen flimsy steel and aluminum for varied applications.

Working with bead rollers is fun and exciting. You can easily make endless bead profiles and steps by using this wonderful tool. This blog will be extremely beneficial for those who use this tool on a daily basis.

Tips to Make Perfect Beads 
If certain steps and tips are followed, you can add to the efficiency of bead rollers and ease bead forming operations.
  • Bead Roller Fence – Bolt a bead roller fence to the edge of the bead roller. This accessory will help make perfect straight lines on the work piece.
  • Lubricate the Roller – Bead rollers encompass several moving parts, including mandrels and handles. To ensure a smooth and trouble-free operation, you must clean and lubricate all the moving parts with industry grade oil or grease. Clogging of debris will affect the smooth functioning of bead rollers.
  • Bear Roller Mandrel Adjustment – Maintain tension on the bead roller mandrels consistently throughout the beading operation. This is important to make bead profiles with the same depth and shape.
  • Working with Large Panels – It is always good to perform a sample bead formation on a scrap metal piece prior to working with large panels. Creating a sample bead layout on scrap metal will ease your final bead profile creation. Material wastage can also be minimized this way.
Like the aforementioned ones, there are several other tips and tricks for successful, fast, and safe bead rolling operation. Your manufacturer can better guide you in this aspect. Also, the user manual provided along with the tool encompasses several tips and tricks on installation, operation, and maintenance. You can enhance the operational value of your bead roller by following these useful tips and tricks.



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Thursday 21 January 2016

Working with Pipe and Tube Notcher – Some Useful Tips



Notchers are the most versatile and easy-to-use tools designed to create precision “fish-mouth” notches on metal tubes and pipes. This tool is amongst the must-have tools designed to ease your metal fabrication activities. However, to get the best out of the tool, you must operate it as per the guidelines of the manufacturer. This is important to create desired notch profiles on sheet metal precisely and safely, without damaging the work piece.

  Helpful Tips 

Know your tool; this helps to create prefect notches quickly and efficiently. The user manual provided along with the pipe and tube notcher will have a set of useful tips for successful notching. A few tips are listed below:
  • Creating notches on thick walled tubing made of carbon and stainless steel requires greater efforts than that of thin walled tubing of copper and aluminum. Plan your notching operation accordingly.
  • The fish-mouth cuts are formed with extremely sharp edges. Be careful when handling the tubing when making these cuts. Ground the edges before the welding operation.
  • Clamp the workpiece in a vise and secure it in position. This minimizes deflection and assures the best cut in the desired place.
  • Adjust speed as per the type of material being cut. For example, when cutting chrome-moly tubing, a higher cutting speed is required. On the other hand, set the cutting speed to a minimum when cutting soft materials.
  • Handle the offcuts with extreme care. Metal chips that are left behind will be extremely sharp. Brush away the metal scraps and debris from the notcher.
  • Keep the saw teeth lubricated to prevent rust and maximize its performance. Similarly, it is advisable to lubricate all the moving parts periodically.
  • Always keep safety in mind. Wear gloves and protective glasses to prevent severe cuts and eye injuries. Refrain from wearing loose clothes as they might accidently get caught in the moving parts, resulting in unexpected accidents.
Adhering to these tips helps you achieve the expected result safely. There are several more useful tips when it comes to pipe and tube notching. You will find them in the user manual provided along with the notcher. You can also contact your manufacturer for more information.
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Tuesday 19 January 2016

Understanding the Basics of Tube Bending Processes - Part II

In the previous post, we had provided descriptions of compression and rotary draw bending. In this post, we shall look at the remaining types of bending methods.

An Overview of the Remaining Tube Bending Methods

Along with the method and application, we shall also discuss the equipment that can be used to perform the method.
  • Roll Bending: Roll bending involves using a manual or power slip roll. The slip roll consists of three rollers in a pyramid configuration. The procedure involves passing sheet metal through the rollers, which apply pressure to form the material in the desired bent radius. The roll bending method is generally used for large radius bending. It is specifically used for materials that cannot be bent using compression or rotary bending methods. This method is ideal for producing large coils or parts with large radii. It is not appropriate to use roll bending if the bend radius is smaller than the tube’s outside diameter.
  • Freeform Bending: Freeform bending involves passing a single die through the pipe or tube and creating the bend. As only a single die is required, multi-radii bends can also be created with this method. The use of a single die eliminates the need for clamping. This minimal tooling allows for production of bends over 180 degrees. Freeform bending is ideal for complex parts requiring multiple radii. It is also useful if you want the part to be aesthetically pleasing, or not have straight lengths between bends. It is not the best method if your part requires tight bends.
Having the right equipment can help make your tube bending job a lot easier. Woodward Fab offers a variety of manual and power pipe and tube benders. Contact us to find the right product for your workshop.
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Understanding the Basics of Tube Bending Processes – Part I

If you want to become a sheet metal fabricator, you need to ensure that your basics are strong. While technologies may evolve, most fabrication principles do not change. Pipe and tube bending is a tough challenge for novices. It is all about using the right method for the right application. In this blog, we shall discuss the various tube bending methods in detail.

Overview of Tube Bending Methods

The below information will allow you to understand how each method is used, as well as the right application to use them.
  • Rotary Draw: Also known as mandrel bending, rotary draw bending is the most common bending method used by fabricators. It is versatile, as it can achieve high quality bends and tight radii. Rotary bending involves using a mandrel with multiple dies, including a bend, clamp, and pressure die. The rotary action of the mandrel draws the pipe around the bend die, making the desired bend in the material. This method allows for the production of accurate components. Multiple radii parts can also be made as the dies control the bending process. This method is not appropriate if the part design is not finalized, or the part has only large radii bends.
  • Compression Bending: This method involves using a tube bender, a bend, and a compression die. During the bending procedure, the bend die remains stationary while the counter die compresses the material around the bend die. This bending method is used to manufacture products like handles, furniture, and frames. It is the ideal procedure when you wish to manufacture multiple items at low costs and high speeds. Compression bending is not appropriate when the part needs to be symmetrical, has exact bend roundness, and with complete multiple radii.
These are the first two primary tube bending methods. In the next post, we shall discuss the remaining two bending methods.
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Monday 18 January 2016

How to Achieve the Perfect Bend in Pipes and Tubes

At Woodward Fab, we get a lot of queries from novice fabricators. A common question is how to achieve the perfect bend. While having the right tube bender can be a great advantage, it is also important to have some basic knowledge of pipe bending and the right procedure.

  Points to Achieve the Perfect Bend in Pipes and Tubes The following points will help you to understand the basics of pipe bending.
  • Know your Basics: Tube bending starts with knowing your fundamentals. What is the pipe going to be used to transport – air or fluid? How much wall thickness does it have? What is the outside diameter of the pipe? What is the bend angle? What is the centerline radius? Also, what are the inside and outside bend radii?
  • Understand Common Problems: There are certain problems that can occur during the bending process. It is important you understand these problems before you start the process.
    • Springback: This refers to the pipe returning to its original form after bending. It also leads to radial growth. Springback occurs in pipes with small centerline radiuses and a hard surface.
    • Elongation: Elongation occurs when the outside radius of the pipe stretches, causing the outside surface to cave in.
  • Know the Types of Bending: There are certain types of bending procedures you can try. Once you understand them, you can choose the procedure based on your requirements.
    • Ram Bending: This is a simple bending method. It utilizes a ram that uses rollers and pivot blocks to bend the pipe.
    • Roll Bending: This method is generally used for large work pieces. It entails using a sheet metal bending machine. The machine consists of three rollers in the shape of a pyramid. The metal is passed through the rollers to create a curve.
    • Compression Bending: Similar to roll bending, compression bending uses a bead roller. The roller consists of dies, which compress the metal to create a curve.
Achieving the perfect bend can take time, but with these helpful tube bending tips, you will be on your way to creating bends as per your requirements.
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Wednesday 13 January 2016

5 Easy Ways to Strengthen Sheet Metal

Sheet metal undergoes various forming operations before they are used in applications. Several beautiful curves are created, and holes are drilled on the sheet metal as per the application requirements. However, when you see a piece of sheet metal, you may wonder how these details are created on the flimsy and easily bent sheet metal. Here is where sheet metal strengthening comes into the picture. There are several ways you can strengthen sheet metal. This blog lists the same.


How to Strengthen Sheet Metal


Looking out for ways to enhance the structural integrity of sheet metal? Here are some tips.
  • Bend - Bend sheet metal panel over its edges. How large the bend should be? It can be decided as per the application requirements, and the level of rigidity needed. To create bends, you can utilize a body hammer, dolly, or a metal brake.
  • Wire Edge – This is done by putting a small piece of metal wire near the edge of the panel. Now, fold the edge of the metal over the metal wire. In addition to strengthening sheet metal panel, this method helps in enhancing the finish of the panel edges.
  • Bead Roller - Use a bead roller to create various bead profiles and designs, which contribute in boosting the panel’s structural integrity. The tool is supplied with several dies with which you can create desired beads and steps.
  • Bead or Grooved Seam – Drilling holes directly into the sheet metal panel affects its rigidity. However, there will be situations wherein you will have to drill holes. How do you go about strengthening areas around the hole? Forming a bead or a grooved seam near the edges of the holes is the ultimate solution.
  • Enhance the Profile – Change the shape of the metal. Adding a bulge or curve into the panel will help. You can achieve this with a help of a hammer and a sandbag, or an English wheel. 
As you can see, strengthening sheet metal is easy if you have the right tools. Several sheet metal fabrication tools are available that help in enhancing the rigidity without exerting too much pressure and damaging the work piece. 
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