Control System Upgrade Makes Faster Tube Manipulation A ‘Breeze’
Unison’s upgraded Unibend software creates speed improvements, reduced pause time between process movements, and other time-saving features for its Breeze tube bending machines. Customers bending significant quantities of tube – such as those in the automotive sector – stand to benefit the most.
Posted: March 8, 2021
A software upgrade by Unison Ltd, (North Yorkshire, UK) a manufacturer of all-electric CNC tube and pipe bending machines, is set to enhance tube manipulation cycle times by about 25% on the company’s Breeze range of models.
Although the upgrade will be of greatest benefit to Unison customers who are involved in high-volume tube manipulation activities, Unison believes that all customers who choose to upgrade will benefit. The software upgrade will be available as an additional cost option to all users of Unison Breeze machines equipped with the company’s latest Unibend control system. It will also be included as standard on all new Unison Breeze machines going forward.
“At Unison, we are renowned for providing our customers with the highest levels of performance, reliability, bend quality and repeatability,” said Alan Pickering, Unison’s managing director. “Additionally, our Unibend software is recognised as the most user-friendly control system for tube bending applications. With a commitment to constant improvement, and as part of our most recent review into machine performance, we took the decision to investigate how we could make the bending cycles on our Breeze range of tube manipulation machines even faster – all without compromising any of the attributes that Unison Breeze machines are renowned for.
“By painstakingly scrutinizing virtually every aspect of the Unibend control system, we have been able to incorporate significant speed improvements, reduce the pause time between process movements and incorporate a number of other time-saving features. Although real-world speed enhancements will obviously depend on materials being bent, the number of and complexity of bends and individual manufacturing strategies, on average we expect Unison customers to achieve time savings in the region of 25% when bending at full power.”
In trials using the latest version of Unison’s Unibend software, Unison Breeze machines ranging from 16 mm to 80 mm tube diameter capability achieved speed enhancements of 21.04% when operating at 50% speed and 25.70% at 100% speed.
“For customers bending significant quantities of tube, particularly customers in the automotive sector, these time savings will be of considerable benefit,” adds Alan Pickering. “Just consider the advantages of 25% faster bend cycles, say, over a 12-month period – not simply in terms of faster production times, but in reduced energy usage and fewer operator hours.”
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