A tubing bender is designed only to bend tubing. You should avoid using a pipe bender to bend tubing unless it has a variety of dies so that you can get the exact size you need for the tubing. Pipe and tubing are measured differently so that a pipe bender set up with a die to bend a pipe with an inch diameter will probably end up ruining tubing with an inch diameter. That's because tubing diameter is measured on the outside and pipe diameter is measured on the inside. There are rare exceptions, but that's the general rule. So you'll need a die that will fit the exact diameter of the tubing if you plan on using the pipe bender and you don't want to kink the tube.

A tube bender can use one of several different types of bending. The most common are press, mandrel, draw and roll bending. Each is used for a slightly different type of tubing and each does a job appropriate for that type of tubing and its uses.

The simplest type of bending is press bending. This is a popular method of bending tubing that's used in things like automobile exhaust systems. It's not a quality bend and is probably the least precise method of bending there is. But it has its applications and is still widely used. It involves the tube being held and pressed at a point between the two points where it's held to bend it. It often warps the tube a bit in the center and deforms it slightly.

Draw bending is the most common type of bending for tubing that needs to maintain a certain diameter, also known as rotary draw bending, this type of tubing bender does a much better and more precise job than press bending. This type of bending is also used when not only diameter is important but the appearance, so it's the type used for things like ornamental work and on things that will show like trailer frames.

Mandrel bending involves inserting a mandrel inside of the tube to hold it firmly as it's being bent to keep the interior of the tube uniform. This is also used in things like exhaust pipes and tubing used in many industrial applications. This is often used in a tube bender designed for things like stainless steel and aluminum tubing.

The other most common type of bending is known as ring roll bending. The tubing is put through the rolls and the top roller exerts pressure to bend it. It's most often used for large items and round items that have a large center line radius. An example would be drum rolls or awnings where the tubing needs to be bent to form a large circumference. These are typically cold bending processes where the tubing is bent at room temperature.  There are some industrial machines that allow for hot bending when it's a mass production situation and tubing needs to be bent quickly with the least resistance.

Photo Credits: evershedm

Originally posted 2010-04-03 13:31:46. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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automobile exhaust, exhaust pipes, exhaust systems, inch diameter, mandrel, pipe bender, pipe diameter, rare exceptions, trailer frames, tube bender, tubing bender