Bending apparatus and method of bending a metal object

摘要

A method of bending a metal object, such as a tube, is provided that uses real time, closed-loop feedback of the actual springback of the object in order to modify the applied bending force or preprogrammed bending coordinates so that the final desired bend geometry is achieved. The variability of springback from object to object is thus accounted for and the number of objects that must be scrapped due to incorrect bends (over bend or under bend) is reduced. The method is carried out using an apparatus such as a rotary draw bender with a measuring device operable to measure actual bend coordinates of metal objects bent by the bender. A controller is operatively connected to the bender and the measuring device and is configured to control the bender to bend the metal objects at least partly based on measured bend coordinates provided by the measuring device.