Pipe and Tube Benders Key Terms

Understand pipe and tube bending terminology
By Howard Robertson A pipe and tube bender machine is useful for industries that require metallic pipes or tubes. Using a pipe and tube bender will help you reduce welding expenses. A bent pipe also reduces fastener expenses and prevents leakage of system fluid.

Whether you want to use industrial pipe or tube bending services or you want to be a service provider, you must understand various technical terms related to the pipe and tube bending processes. This guide explains pipe and tube bending key terms, such as hot or cold bending, press bending, mandrel bending, bend radius and springback.

Hot or cold bending

As the name indicates, in a cold bending process, the pipe or tube is bent at room temperature. A hot bending process is carried out at high temperatures in which the yield strength of the tube material is less.
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Press bending

Press bending is probably the simplest method of pipe and tube bending. For tubes and pipes with heavy thickness, press bending process is the most suitable bending technique. However, the bend quality for tubes or pipes using the press bending technique is very poor.
Try:  Hines Bending Systems (PDF), a supplier of pipe bending equipment, provides a guide for tube bending that explains technical terms related to the tube bending operations.

Mandrel bending

In the mandrel bending process, a flexible rod, called a mandrel, is inserted inside the pipe before it is bent. This ensures uniform dimensions of the bent pipe or tube.
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Roll bending

As the name indicates, in a roll bending process, tubes or pipes are bent over metal rolls to achieve the required bent profile. Generally, roll bending is a cold bending process.
Try:  To understand the concept of roll bending, read through the metal forming glossary at Advantage Fabricated Metals, a manufacturer of custom metal components for OEM (original equipment manufacturing) applications.

Bend radius

Bend radii indicate the different radii of the arc of the bend. Different bend radii are internal bend radius, external bend radius and centerline radius. Generally, when the term bending radius is used, pipe bending companies mean centerline radius.
Try:  Jorgenson Metal Rolling & Forming, a service provider in the metal forming industry, provides a glossary of metal forming terms.

Springback (elastic springback)

When a pipe or tube is bent, it has a tendency to return to its original shape or position. This tendency is due to the resilience of the material for the tube or pipe. Springback is the limit, up to which the tube or pipe restores its position after removing the bending pressure.
Try:  For further information about elastic springback, read through the glossary of technical terms at Specialty Steel Industry of North America.