Curved profiles are becoming increasingly important in many industries, from furniture and architecture to vehicle and aircraft construction, and railway construction. The part geometries are becoming more and more complex and demanding. In the past, bending geometries consisting of several identical radii were used, but today continuous radii progressions ("in one piece") are required. Such demanding bending contours can be produced with free-form bending.
Examples of applications for free-form bending include railings and handrails for stair construction, irregularly shaped partition walls for trade fair construction, and curved roof shapes for architecture, where each element must be calculated and manufactured individually. The curved shapes made of aluminum profiles are also essential in caravan and mobile home construction.
Free-form bending allows pipes, profiles, or sheet metal to be pushed through special machines and deformed in several dimensions in one work process. The process is suitable for both demanding one-off production and the series production of identical parts. The starting point is usually a CAD construction drawing, the data for which is transferred to the machine for free-form bending.
In this way, almost any metal can be formed with a precise fit in terms of shape, radius, and length. There are only a few limits to bending itself: In the end, the formed workpiece should only be easy to transport, handle, and install.
One advantage of free-form bending, especially when processing tubes, is that it allows tubes to retain a relatively even wall thickness. This makes them stronger and more durable.
If you are looking for a way to create complex curved shapes with precision and strength, free-form bending may be the right solution for you. Contact us to learn more about this innovative process and how it can benefit your industry.
At Alu-Line in Bad Saulgau it is possible to bend different radii on tubes and profiles with automatic tool changes using free-form bending. The radii can connect seamlessly and lie in several levels. Workpieces with different sized radii are possible without any problems. In addition, we can also realize special bending radii that cannot be produced with classic bending processes or machines.
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