How to use a Ball Mandrel and Wiper Die to Bend Tubing

Bend tubing

Are you planning to use a Ball mandrel and Wiper die to bend the pipe but do not know the process?

Here is the guide to bending tubes with ball mandrel and wiper die.

Why Use a Ball Mandrel and Wiper Die to Bend Tubing?

One of the oldest methods for bending tubing is using a ball-mandrel and Wiper die. A wiper die has a stationary wiper that wipes the ball as it rolls against it, making a near-perfect radius every time. This will ultimately help improve the bend quality of your bends.

Why Use a Ball Mandrel and Wiper Die to Bend Tubing?

A ball mandrel supports the tube throughout the tube bending process and is used to produce flares, tees, and reducers. The ball-end reduces friction and oxidation during bending, allowing the workpiece to be held in a tight radius while not marring the surface or allowing distortion. The result is precise bending that produces better flare control and dimensional consistency.

How to Bend Tubing with a Ball Mandrel and Wiper Die

Firstly, you must make a successful plan to bend the tube with a ball mandrel and wiper die. You need to consider the material you are going to bend. Try to source the entire material from one supplier. It will help in maintaining the consistency of the tubing dimensions and characteristics.

Start considering the machines you are going to use. The bending machine should be in the right condition and should have good quality because poor quality tooling leads to longer set-up times, more scrap, poorly bent tubes, and unacceptable bends. You need an experienced one to operate that machine.

When performing this type of bend, the piece of tooling, the Wiper Die should be accurate. The groove must be slightly larger than the O.D. of the tube ñ 10% of wall thickness as being minimum. It must be of high polish lubricated with thin oil. Too much fat or too heavy oil in this area will cause wrinkles. Wiper Dies fit to bend die groove must be 85% contact from 12:00 o’clock to 6:00 and for at least 15-20 degrees back from tangent. When the bend die does not support the Wiper Die. It will spring away from the mandrel. It can cause the tube to wrinkle.

How to Bend Tubing with a Ball Mandrel and Wiper Die

Wrapping Up

These tools are excellent aids for bending tubing. It allows you to make consistent tapers on tubing, whether you want a tight or loose fit. The mandrels and dies will enable you to make different-sized bends and give you those custom curves that your other tools do not allow.

Delahenty Machinery is a leading manufacturer of tube bending machinery, Wiper dies, and ball mandrels. Many industries use our machines to process tubes and pipes, from ultra-pure copper and brass to hardened steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and titanium. Contact us for more details.

Wiper Dies: Innovative, Multi-Functional Pipe Bending Tool

Solid Wiper Dies

Evolutionary changes in the plumbing industry have led to the development of multiple types of pipes and pipe fittings. Due to this evolution, plumbers have found themselves struggling with the issue of less time. Because pipes come in all shapes and sizes. Each set requires a different bending method, which increases the work time and leads to the wastage of resources. And this is how Wiper Dies came into the picture. Wiper Dies is a new, patented multi-functional pipe bending tool designed to permanently fix and correct damaged or misaligned pipes. This article discusses everything about this tool in detail.

What is a Wiper Dies?

Wiper dies are an improvement over the previous manual method which involved bending pipes using hammers and presses. It is a type of bending tool that helps minimise the build up of dirt and other debris. These dies are relatively inexpensive and easy to install but can make a big difference in your cleaning process. They work on the same principle as any other type of bending dies. But they perform a special function that helps in enhancing the quality of bends. These dies possess wiper blades and grooves with unique designs for bending pipe joints.

Wiper Dies

What are the benefits of Wiper Dies in pipe bending?

Well, if there is one phrase that you should become familiar with when dealing with windshield wipers it is “quality product.” This couldn’t especially be more true when it comes to wiper blades and the companies that deal in these products.

A wiper dies is a type of forming tool that removes, scrapes, and smooths metal while it forms a bend of the material. The term “wiper” dies used to describe the function and how it acts during the process of pipe bending. These tools are designed in several ways, depending on whether they are used in flat or round metal piping. You can use wiper dies with air, hydraulics, or simply powered by hand power. Their uses include long-radius and short-radius bends in small- to large-diameter pipes as well as flares and unions.

How Wiper Dies Work in Pipe Bending Process

Wiper dies is used in the pipe bending process with good effect. Wiper dies is one of the most important parts of a pipe bending machine that bends a round bar, oval bar into any angle and round or angle steel into regular, irregular and special shapes, such as U-shape, T-shape or Z-shape or compound angles like elbows, tees. The die body has fitted with a mould. The mould has fitted on the slide guide. The slide is worked by a segmental rack and pinion mechanism. When the bending dies to move forward to the working position(to the upper position), the guide rod will be pulled down and the mould will strike on the workpiece to bend the workpiece.

A four-stroke oil pump pumps oil under high pressure into the cylinder and then force the piston to move forward to punch out a piece of rubber wiper or ring wiper placed between two dies. So that when dies make contact with the workpiece, the rubber ring will soften the impact energy effectively and make the bending surface smooth automatically; also when dies to meet no resistance in process of bending process, the spring inside dies will connect sliding plate of bending mould to retract back returning to initial position automatically; so that you can bend pipes stably and repeatedly.

Delahenty Machinery

We are the leading manufacturer of the wiper dies for pipe bending. We offer wiper dies for carbon steel pipe bend, stainless steel pipe bend and aluminium pipe bend with different types. For more information about our products, please contact us by email or click here.

How to solve common problems related to CNC Mandrel Pipe Bender

CNC Mandrel Pipe Bender

There are several advantages when you bend pipe and tube with the help of a CNC mandrel. Such as, It helps to prevent spring back, which can be huge without a CNC mandrel. Somehow, like any other bending method, the CNC mandrel pipe bender process unfolds unique issues that can occur.

This blog will discuss common CNC mandrel pipe bending problems and the easy and seamless way to solve them with a particular setup and specifications.

cnc mandrel pipe bender

General problems you face during CNC mandrel pipe bending

The issue with the Pipe bending process

To get the perfect bend, all you need to do first is check the mandrel position and shift the mandrel back from the tangent. Move mandrel until the hump goes away. In case if it does not work, you can ensure the free movement of the pressure die. You need to keep a check on the forces on the pressure die.

It may be possible that it also does not work. Then you need to check the mandrel ball size if it is correct as per bending specification or not. If it is not, adjust the size as per the bending need. The final solution we have is when all these methods do not work. You need to check that the CNC mandrel pipe bending process is suitable for the pipe material you are using. It can be the cause of not getting a perfect bend.

The issue of pipe collapse

CNC mandrel pipe bender has several advantages. Such as, It helps to prevent spring back, which can be huge without a CNC mandrel.

Thirdly, Check how many mandrel balls you are using for the CNC mandrel pipe bending process and how much you should use. In case if all these parts are working correctly and sufficient for the application. Then observe the drag and adjust it as needed.

Delahenty Machinery 

We are here to help you with powerful machinery for pipe bending. With a range of brands like CNC, YLM and much more, Delahenty machinery only delivers good products. Contact us for more details.