transfluid creates new technology for economic forming of individual geometries

n times of ever faster and more complex challenges to the production tool costs are one main cost factor. Nevertheless, it is common in tube forming that the form is mostly depending on the tooling. The only ways to take small influence on the geometry were until now changes in the material length and different strokes. With big efforts and a lot of tools the flexibility and efficiency was missing in the process. That’s why solution finder transfluid has designed a completely new process to form different geometries on different diameters without special, geometry depending tooling.

„For us it’s always very exciting to think a little further and to try out and create new technologies, for applications where the standard technique does not provide a solution,” said Gerd Nöker, Managing Director of transfluid. „And often the best solutions are in some effective details.” For our new method for the tube forming only a very simple clamping jaw is in use. All other tools are independent of the geometry and the diameter of the tubes. “A special feature of the new transfluid forming method is that the clamp length is around 1 x tube diameter. So most of the parts can be formed without using expansive form clamps.

The surface of the forming geometry can be produced with a perfect surface quality – even with rotationally symmetrical elements to create an optimal sealing surface. Where previously especially the reduction of stainless steel was a big challenge, the new developed method is a safe solution. The tools are so completely free from wear.

"Since our tube forming process is used specifically for diameter reduction or for keeping the diameter, it is possible, that before the processing an axial expansion of the tube can be necessary. Of course, high-strength materials and stainless steels as well can be formed as also softer NE-metals, "explains Gerd Nöker.
With its impressive solution transfluid has created a technical way, to manufacture a big range of individual geometries with minimal tooling costs.


Visit us: hall 05 / booth G34


High-strength materials and stainless steels as well can be formed as also softer NE-metals.


   
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Cost-efficient bending of hose fittings

transfluid offers two fast processing systems for different sizes


Special solutions are required for special requirements – or just one efficient, customisable solution. For one-part hose fittings transfluid Maschinenbau GmbH has developed such a "twin" solution and will equip its systems with different modules depending on the application, varying mostly in the loading system. The challenges: Fittings are mostly mechanically processed, extremely short, relatively thick-walled and their sealing elements (sealing head or hose part) must not be damaged under any circumstances. "Cost-efficient processing options are an aspect on which we place great emphasis. Large amounts of pieces are mostly manufactured for small sizes. And what counts here is the speed", says Gerd Nöker, the CEO of transfluid.

Short cycles and bulk material hopper
The fittings bending machine for sizes up to 1 inch is fitted with a bulk material hopper with a capacity of 600 litres. The advantage: Fittings of any size can be loaded. A powerful drive is ensured by servo-electrical or hydraulic equipment. Bending can be therefore done in amazingly short cycles from 6 to 7 seconds including the entire handling. Special supporting elements ensure that the sealing cone and hose connections remain undamaged. Fittings starting with inner diameter of 8 mm are bent by the transfluid system always with an internal mandrel, so that bend ovalisation can be ruled out.

Special handling of fittings with a diameter of up to 75 mm
Components with dimensions up to a diameter of 75 mm are transported by using a particularly robust loading system. As the weight of these fittings is so high, the loading system prevents the components from uncontrolled falling down. The work pieces are therefore provided on a special pallet, taken from the handling system and supplied to the bending machine. These sizes are generally bent by the machines with an internal mandrel. A maximum ovalisation of 3 percent is given. Also for large component, special supporting adapters ensure that each piece is discharged in the optimum way in the process. Flanges or other sealing elements will stay safe from damage. Even for fittings of this size, the entire processing time is maximum 25 seconds.

transfluid® Maschinenbau GmbH
transfluid is the reputable world-wide partner for the manufacturing of tube bending machines and tube processing machines. Since 1988 transfluid has been developing client-oriented technologies for tube processing and can offer customized solutions: from plant building and mechanical engineering, automotive and furniture industry to ship manufacturing to railing production and conveying systems. Being a brand famous all over the world, our company from South-Westphalia, Germany offers local presence through its service offices in Europe and Asia.


Visit us: hall 05 / booth G34




The twin transfluid solution for efficient and fast bending of hose fittings.



   
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Material efficiency thanks to chipless tube cutting

transfluid cutting technology handles tubes with a diameter of up to 76 mm regardless of wall thickness

Ready-to-use solutions are only as good as their integrated process steps. Offering tailor-made concepts to clients who need their tubes to be processed means for the South-Westphalian / German solution provider transfluid that all integrated processes must document current technological progress – from semi-finished products to ready products. High expectations, but this is the only way to guarantee the right results for special requirements. The company is therefore developing all fields in its portfolio, so that it can offer the machines that are needed.

Economical: chipless tube cutting
In the further development special attention is paid to the chipless tube cutting technology. This is this very method that is highly economical – when e.g. work proceeds from the coil, when chips are to be avoided in the production process or when large amounts of tubes shall be separated. "We have installed our cutting equipment over many years in automated manufacturing units and make them ready for the future", explains Gerd Nöker, CEO of transfluid. The systems are extremely powerful and convince through amazing cutting quality independently of material and wall thickness. The software is specially programmed for optimised cutting as to ensure that almost no waste originates from the process.

Special requirements – varied options for one solution
Chipless cutting equipment can be individually equipped for manual loading with a tube bunker or for cutting from the coil with a straightening line. The systems provide a cutting output of max Ø 30 x 3 for stainless tubes and offer a production speed of up to 1,600 pieces per hour. The shortest cutting length is 25 mm without pulling apart and 55 mm with pulling apart, all with a residual length of 110 mm. On top of that, more machines for cutting tubes with a diameter of up to 76 mm are available. Separated parts can be sorted in up to 10 separate containers.
As the tubes are pulled apart when being separated, it is ensured that they will not get constricted or deformed in the joint. Any material can be processed in the way as required. Being a future-oriented solution provider, transfluid is pushing ahead the technological progress in tube cutting.


Tube 2012 - visit us: hall 5 / booth G34

www.tube-processing-machines.com





transfluid technology "t cut" for economical, chipless tube cutting.


   
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transfluid strenghtens its footing and partnership in Asia

transfluid Asia Pacific with on-site service in Bangkok


Top-class service can be delivered only by those who are physically present where their clients are. For this reason transfluid Asia Pacific was established in Bangkok. After five years of operation, one thing is clear for transfluid Maschinenbau GmbH: it is a success story. The service and sales office in which four employees of the South-Westphalian (German) business are currently working plays a vital role in the success of transfluid in the economic region of Asia Pacific and is the basis for further, sustainable expansion.

Thannarong Vasunirachorn has been the head of transfluid Asia Pacific since 2008. He point out: "We have been very consistent and target-oriented in our development and constant expansion of our presence in the interest of our clients. We want to offer local service on the same level as in the German town of Schmallenberg in Europe where we are based." From the Thai capital, the senior executive does not only coordinate all sales activities of transfluid vendors from Korea, India and China up to Australia and New Zealand. Also the installation of machines and equipment and the subsequent service are organised from Bangkok. Being close to the client is of primary importance for the company.

Knowledge exchange in the German head office
The Thailand-based sales people and engineers are thoroughly educated and qualified in the German master plant. On average, they spend 16 weeks here. This exchange with the German colleagues is highly appreciated and determines the success of transfluid in Asia Pacific. "The professional competence of our staff is highly esteemed and thrust in our services cannot go unnoticed. The timing and decision to open a subsidiary in Asia was just right. It was a true success. The proximity to clients is an aspect that opens the door to the local market", says Gerd Nöker, CEO of transfluid. To ensure fast technical support, it is a matter of fact that the company maintains a stock of spare parts in Bangkok. Sufficient storage areas guarantee short response times. Our qualified team of engineers can provide fast service whenever needed. The recent success has confirmed that transfluid shall continue developing and timely expanding its subsidiary on the Asian-Pacific market.


Tube 2012: hall 05 / booth G34




The highly qualified Thai transfluid staff is thoroughly educated in the head office in Schmallenberg in South-Westphalia, Germany.

   
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Process integration for spherical head sealing on steel and stainless steel tubes

Safe shaping instead of expensive welding


In the automotive industry spherical heads are used as sealing and connecting elements for pressure tubes. Up to now, these sealing elements have been produced mechanically and subsequently connected with the respective tubes through welding or soldering. This process is not only cost-intensive, but can also result in weak points in the welds. Facing this challenge, transfluid Maschinenbau GmbH has developed an integrated method. Result: Cost-efficient and safe forming of spherical head systems directly to the tube.

"There are two different types of spherical heads. Round-shaped with a purely metallic sealing function, and sealing cones with a 24° cone. These can seal both metallically and/or be fitted with an O-ring", explains Gerd Nöker, CEO of transfluid.
"Our systems represent a new, efficient shaping technology and extend the scope to new rationalisation processes." The new combination machines enable not only material compression, but the surface can be also processed with high rolling precision.

Essential technical factors
For cost reasons, the wall thickness of the tubes must be correspondingly small. To be able to implement this, transfluid offers the possibility to increase the wall thickness in the area of forming – for example for stainless pipes of 8 x 1 mm to a wall thickness of 2.6 mm. Very small tolerance is allowed for the formed geometry. Our special endforming machines are therefore equipped with a controlled positioning system allowing for extremely precise shaping. This is vital especially for the rolling machine. To achieve an optimum result, it is essential that the surface on the spherical head is as smooth as possible. Here, the machine and tool technology from transfluid enables surface shaping of Rz 0.5 on spherical heads.

The cost saving is enormous: up to 45 percent. To avoid the situation when conventional methods hamper any further progress, transfluid will consequently continue investigating and developing new possibilities in process integration also in future.

www.tube-processing-machines.com

Hall 05 / Booth G 34

   
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The efficient simplicity of tube bending

transfluid process improves production performance

If special requirements are needed, sometimes less is more - also in order to optimize the output of high-quality results. In the area of ​the tube bending technology proves that the Transfluid Maschinenbau GmbH with a solution that links the simple processes intelligently and effectively with each other. Because of customer request transfluid specialists now developed an economic system for the automatic production of closed tube frames with up to six bends. The frame ends are reduced and merged during the bending process. The complete equipment solution includes an additional pressing device in which the fabricated tube frames are inserted automatically.



"The challenge was to create an optimal process for our customer, which ensures efficient results fast and easy. And that with a cycle time of only 15 seconds”, explains Gerd Nöker, managing director of Transfluid. At the establishment and development transfluid makes a point from the beginning that the entire system can be operated up to one hour without the deployment of personnel. For this purpose, the solution has a tube bunker that can accommodate 240 tubes with a diameter of 30 mm. After the separation process again the lenghts are measured and one tubeend is reduced automatically, so that both ends can be implemented into each other later.

The bending process performs a transfluid double-head bending machine, which is equipped with two axially servo-electric positioned heads. "The two bending heads are always in use simultaneously, and the drive is also performed servo-electric ," explains Gerd Nöker. "The positioning of the workpiece in the bending process provides the automatic connection of the ends, creating a closed frame."

Finally the automatic removal and feeding into the pressing device takes place. There various embossing punches fix the frame. By attaching different flattenings and punchings it is guaranteed, that during the later painting the paint can run smoothly.

transfluid® Maschinenbau GmbH
Since 1988 transfluid continually improved technologies in tube processing to meet customers’ demands, offering optimum, tailor-made solutions in machine and plant construction, that are used in the automobile, ship building and furniture industries as well as the construction of railings and conveyor technology. transfluid’s product portfolio offers
perfect solutions in five different machine categories, that meet all the requirements in tube processing. The Schmallenberg-based company has become a global brand with service offices in Europe and Asia.

   
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Economical bending and cutting of compact geometries

New transfluid solution provides more time and material efficiency



In short and compact tube geometries, the problem is that with standard methods the material loss is extremely high, if must be cutted after bending the tubes. "Not acceptable", determine the developers of the transfluid Maschinenbau GmbH, Schmallenberg. With a special combination of bending and cutting process, which was developed according to the individual customer's request, provides the Sauerland company now an effective solution. All axes and movements of the bending machine are electrically driven. The machine is equipped with three bending level. On another level, the tube can be cutted precisely and almost without damage via knives. Without further cutting, the immediate processing of the work piece is ensured. The new development is able to bend and manufacture tubes up to 140 x 2 mm. Because the loading of short pre-cutted parts is not necessary and non-productive times are reduced, an exceptional economy will be achieved. Per geometry it leads to an average saving of material up to two times the tube diameter. Very interesting is this particular kind of machine design for example for the manufacture of exhaust systems.




Efficient bending-cutting-development
Economic advance is given by the up to six meters usuable length of the machine. After loading, the desired geometry and the first bend of the following geometry could be finished. Therefor transfluid has equipped their bending technology with ten servo-electrical driven axes. In the following process the knife of the cutting unit ensure a precise cut and separate the already bended geometry from the untreated piece of pipe. "Bending radii and clamping lenght are very demanding here. The transfluid-solution allows their implementation, because the machine is also equipped with a boosting function "managing director Gerd Nöker points out.



During TUBE (hall 05 / stand 5G34) visitors can experience more forward-looking solutions for tube processing from transfluid.

   
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First process for tool-independent tube forming developed

transfluid creates new technology for economic forming of individual geometries

In times of ever faster and more complex challenges to the production tool costs are one main cost factor. Nevertheless, it is common in tube forming that the form is mostly depending on the tooling. The only ways to take small influence on the geometry were until now changes in the material length and different strokes. With big efforts and a lot of tools the flexibility and efficiency was missing in the process. That’s why solution finder transfluid has designed a completely new process to form different geometries on different diameters without special, geometry depending tooling.

„For us it’s always very exciting to think a little further and to try out and create new technologies, for applications where the standard technique does not provide a solution,” said Gerd Nöker, Managing Director of transfluid. „And often the best solutions are in some effective details.” For our new method for the tube forming only a very simple clamping jaw is in use. All other tools are independent of the geometry and the diameter of the tubes. “A special feature of the new transfluid forming method is that the clamp length is around 1 x tube diameter. So most of the parts can be formed without using expansive form clamps.

The surface of the forming geometry can be produced with a perfect surface quality – even with rotationally symmetrical elements to create an optimal sealing surface. Where previously especially the reduction of stainless steel was a big challenge, the new developed method is a safe solution. The tools are so completely free from wear.

"Since our tube forming process is used specifically for diameter reduction or for keeping the diameter, it is possible, that before the processing an axial expansion of the tube can be necessary. Of course, high-strength materials and stainless steels as well can be formed as also softer NE-metals, "explains Gerd Nöker.
With its impressive solution transfluid has created a technical way, to manufacture a big range of individual geometries with minimal tooling costs.

   
Minimize News