The bending machine is intended for cold bending of rods, pipes, and sections.

Thanks to the possibility of laying

the machine on its rear wall, semi-finished products can also be bent on a horizontal line. The bending machine
consists of a head equipped with two guide rollers. A third pressure roller is found above the head, and its working
position is adjusted by means of a screw. All three rollers are driven by a toothed gear. It is possible to quickly
disconnect the drive of the pressure roller. The machine is equipped with a set of universal rollers (for bending of
various open or closed sections). Rollers for pipes can be made on special order according to the diameter of the
given pipe or rod.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE ROLLER BENDING

MACHINE FOR SECTIONS
Bending machine with drive to top bending roller
The simplest roller bending machine has one roller that is driven [Fig.1.], while the other two rotate as a
result of contact with the bending material.

Fig. 1 Example of bending on a pipe bender with one driven roller.

A bending machine of this type yields good results for small arcs or circles. The bending profile wraps
around the driven roller, preventing slipping of the section.

Roller bending machine with drive to two rollers

A bending machine with two driven rollers [Fig.2.] yields good bending effects for gentle arcs. The
possibility that the bent section will jam between the rollers when the roller without drive is too tightly wound is a
disadvantage. Situations like this are inconvenient, because bending force must be adjusted from the beginning,
or worse, one must use their own strength to push the material between the rollers. This can lead to injury or,
even worse, maiming of the bending machine's operator.

Fig. 2 Example of bending on a pipe bender with two driven rollers.

Roller bending machine with drive to three rollers

Of the section bending methods given above, the method with three driven rollers [Fig.3.] is the most
effective, because it is not possible for the material to jam while rollers are in motion. In this situation, however,
slipping cannot be eliminated completely, since the top roller moves over a different radius than the other two.
Experiments that we have conducted show that this situation does not cause material loss on the bent section. A
drive combining all 3 rollers was designed to achieve drive to the pressure roller.

Fig. 3 Example of bending on a pipe bender with three driven rollers.

Rollers used in bending machines

Precision-made rollers are an important part of a roller bending machine. We usually use modular rollers
if ordinary carbon steel is being bent [Fig. 6]. They consist of several components, making it possible to adjust

them to the bent section. The steel from which rollers of this type are made is cold-work steel, and their hardness
is approximately 55 HRC. Steel of this type is resistant to friction between the roller and the bending profile.

When bending stainless steel, remember to use plastic rollers. Otherwise, local scoring of the roller with
the rolled section may occur, and this is very difficult to remove. An example of a shaped roller is a roller for pipe
bending [Fig. 4., Fig. 5].

Examples and types of rollers

- shaped rollers
a) plastic [Fig.4]
b) steel [Fig.5]

Fig. 4 Shaped rollers for pipe bending on a bending machine.

Fig. 5 Shaped steel roller for bending 48 pipes on a bending machine.

A different set of shaped rollers corresponding to a given diameter is used for every pipe, otherwise the
pipe will change its cylindrical shape at the bending point. An example of a shaped steel roller for 48 mm pipe is
shown in [Fig.5.].

- assembled rollers (modular)

Bending of rectangular sections is generally not a quick process. When the pressure roller acts on the
bending material, the top wall is compressed and the lower wall is stretched.

This process changes the cross-section. The deformation of the section is often large enough that the
arising friction forces may jam the machine or cause severe damage to the rolled material. The most common
cause of scratch formation is the use of rollers with unrounded edges or low hardness.

Modular rollers consist of two side disks [Fig.6.] and several spacer disks. Spaces are changed
depending on the dimensions of the bending profile. By using spaces of 5 mm, 6 mm, 10 mm, 20mm, 30mm, we
are capable of assembling a roller for standard sections.

Fig. 6 Assembled modular rollers for sections in the pipe bending machine.

- rollers with indenting surface

The problem of swelling of the bending material can be solved by means of a roller with an indenting
edge. A roller of this type is usually [Fig.7.] mounted on the pressure roller, which presses into the compressed
wall. Thanks to this option, transverse deformation is prevented and bending quality is improved.

Fig. 7 Rollers for sections with an indenting edge in the pipe bending machine.

- full one-piece rollers

Fig. 8 One-piece roller used for a specific section dimension in the pipe bending machine.

One-piece rollers [Fig.8.] are used in the case of mass bending of one type of section and when strictly
required parameters of the bending element must be preserved. Arc bends intended for further working (e.g.
punching of holes on a press where a strict transverse dimension of the bent item is required) are an example of
this.