Pipe Bending Methods
There are a number of situations where you may need to bend a pipe in order to complete a task or create something that you are trying to build. In automotive applications, pipe bending comes in a number of forms--steel brake lines are bent in order to go around various areas on the frame, and exhaust pipes are bent to make the proper contours. There are a number of pipe-bending techniques, although some are better suited to certain applications. Does this Spark an idea?
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Hydraulic Pipe Benders
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Hydraulic pipe benders are for bending large heavy pipes that you do not want to crush in the process of bending them. These are often used in automobile exhaust shops and in custom frame building applications for race cars. They use a jack with a ram that pushes against a holder where the pipe is affixed. The pressure of the ram works on the holder, which distributes the pressure evenly across the pipe's surface, allowing it to bend without crushing or breaking.
Hand Pipe Benders
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A pipe bending method for small jobs, such as brake lines and other delicate metal tubing, is to use a hand pipe bender. It looks like a pulley, and the pipe is placed between the two ears of the pulley and bent against the pulley until the proper diameter or angle is reached. This prevents the pipe from crushing or kinking, and helps to distribute the force exerted on the pipe in much the same way as a hydraulic bender.
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Mandrel Benders
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Mandrel benders are a type of machine pipe bender that use linear motion to bend the pipe, pushing it against a form that creates a pipe bent in the perfect specification of the design without having any problems with crushing, kinking, or other pipe damage. Mandrel benders are fairly expensive, and most are limited to machine shops or other well-equipped areas.
Ring Roll Benders
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Ring roll benders use three separate wheels--two on the bottom that support the pipe, while a third wheel presses down from above to exert gentle pressure as the pipe is rolled back and forth across the bottom two rollers. Ring rolling helps to create large circumference pipe bends that could not be accomplished otherwise.
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