American Hydroformers in-house tube bending equipment and capabilities support our hydroforming operations. If a finished part contains bends that deviate from a straight line, tube bending is often required. This, along with the pre-crush stage of production, ensures the tube will fit properly into the hydroforming die. Additionally the tube bending process thins the outer radius wall and thickens the inner wall. Our team of designers and engineers utilize FEA simulations to accurately predict the thinning and stress per different material usage. Current bending operation allows for bending of up to a 5” OD tube with a .100” steel wall thickness. Our electric and CNC controlled rotary draw benders are capable of multi-stack tooling, allowing different radius bends on the same part. These benders can use a mandrel when required to maintain roundness and minimize thinning on the outer diameter portion of the bend.

Schwarz-Robitec Hydraulic Tube Benders

American Hydroformers’ also utilizes two CNC controlled hydraulic tube benders in the initial stages of the tube hydroforming process. A raw tube made of malleable metal, such as steel, stainless steel, copper, aluminum, or brass is placed in the tube bender and bent per client and job specifications. Both of our Schwarz-Robitec tube benders have the capabilities to bend up to 5” OD tubing with a .100” steel wall thickness.