Posted to News on 31st Mar 2007, 16:42
Boeing buys Breeze 20 all-electric tube bender from Unison
Boeing Integrated Defense Systems has purchased a Breeze 20 all-electric tube-bending machine from Unison. It is being used to fabricate hydraulic and fuel line components required during the manufacture and service of Chinook and V-22 Osprey helicopters.
Unison has shipped an all-electric tube-bending machine to Boeing Integrated Defense Systems' rotorcraft manufacturing facility in Philadelphia, USA.
The new Breeze 20 machine is capable of making precision bends on high-performance alloy and aluminium tubes with diameters of up to 1 inch (25 mm), and will be used to fabricate hydraulic and fuel line components required during the manufacture and service of Chinook and V-22 Osprey helicopters. The machine features a 'long nose' that allows tubular shapes with complex bends - and very short distances between bends - to be fabricated in a single automatic operation.
It will be the first all-electric tube bending machine to be installed at this Boeing facility. Instead of hydraulic force, Unison's Breeze 20 uses servo motors to control the bending process. All-electric actuation provides significant advantages related to manufacturing precision, repeatability and energy consumption. Each of the tools employed during bending is under software control, allowing users to create smooth bends with optimal flow performance and strength. Once the machine is set up, operating parameters can also be stored, allowing machines to be reconfigured for another part or batch in a few minutes, without creating any scrap.
Further, as the actuation elements of the machine only need energy when a bend is being made, total power consumption is greatly reduced.
