Many of those who are used to doing housework with their own hands know that in construction, as well as in repairs, it is simply impossible to do without metal profiles and pipes. Often it may be necessary to bend these materials, and in accordance with certain shapes and sizes. For such needs, various bending tools are designed. The ready-made machines offered on the market are a very expensive pleasure. In order to save money, you can make a profile bender with your own hands. Such a tool will certainly help you in the household, however, first of all, you need to decide whether you really need it. Consider the principle of operation of this manual machine, its varieties, learn how to make a profile bender with your own hands.
Why do I need a profile bender?
The list of tasks that this tool can handle is huge. When laying a cable or pipeline for gas and water supply systems, you will probably need to bend pipes. For such purposes, the profile bender is simply indispensable, without it the installation process will turn into flour. Metal profiles for any construction needs are perfectly deformable with this tool. Various corners, channels and fittings will not resist the onslaught of the profile bender as part of the construction and repair tasks. Also bending machines are widely used in the production of various pipes and profiles, whether PVC or steel pipes, copper or aluminum.
The machine, including the profile bending machine, made by hand, makes it possible to deform the part without heating it, that is, the principle of cold rolling is used. A very significant advantage is that one rental is needed in order for the part to be ready. It can be used to make a circle, spiral or other various shapes from a metal blank.
Without this tool today, at least one large industrial sector is unlikely to do: energy, automotive, petrochemical industry and so on. There is nothing intricate in the work on this machine, everything happens simply: the part is rolled between the upper and side rollers, which are used to press.
What is structurally a profile bender?
This tool can be mechanically, hydraulically or electrically powered. Often performed in a portable version, it also has a very compact size and low weight. The package may include various nozzles that make this machine universal for all types of workpieces.
Varieties
- Machine with movable top roller. By design, it is the mostsimple, because only one roller is set in motion. This design allows you to calculate the bending radius of the workpiece with high accuracy, making corrections for the deformation of the metal. Such profile benders can be called the most popular at present.
- Machine with movable left roller. With this type of machine, you can easily perform a spiral bend, while it is able to perform the functions provided by other types of devices.
- Machine with movable lower rollers. It is used for bending large parts, since thanks to two movable rollers, the force is optimally distributed.
- The machine with all movable rollers. By design, this is the most complex apparatus. Thanks to the mobility of all rollers, the capabilities of this machine include the functionality of all types of profile benders.
How does the device work?
Regardless of whether the profile bender is made by hand or it is factory-made, the main principle of operation of this tool is precisely the rolling of blanks, and not bending. To begin with, the machine is securely fixed to the base. If there is such a need, the installation is grounded, and the reliability of the electrical circuit and mechanical design is also checked.
The first start-up is preceded by the removal of preservative grease with a rag. After that, the machine should work in the "no load" mode for about half an hour. Deficiencies that have arisen during this time are eliminated. After that, the parts to be bent must be cleaned of oil and debris. Detailis located between the shafts, after which the rolling process begins.
Types of profile benders: electric
Basically, such devices have large dimensions, therefore, their stationary installation is mandatory. Electric profile bending machines are highly accurate and do not reduce the strength of parts during rolling.
Hydraulic
Such a system is usually designed for industry. When installing water supply and sewerage systems, such machines are simply irreplaceable. Their main advantage is high speed and ease of operation. But that's not all that will make you happy with the made profile bending machine with your own hands. The sizes of workpieces that can be bent with such a machine are very diverse.
Manual
This type is considered the most budgetary. Due to its compactness, you can carry such a manual profile bender with your own hands. The drawings of such a machine do not include any base. True, working on such a tool is not very easy. Firstly, the bending process requires a lot of effort from the user, and secondly, the work process is not fast. The disadvantage is the inability of the manual device to bend thick pipes, as well as low accuracy.
Be that as it may, this type is the most suitable option for housework. After all, the amount of work during the repair does not imply a huge scale, so manual machines will be able to do this work.
Varieties of manual machines
There are several options for making a manual profile bender with your own hands. Drawings of the firstthe most popular options. In such machines, moving rollers act on the workpiece, as a result of which bending occurs. The workpiece bends against the fixed part of the machine.
The next option is a device in which it is the frame that moves towards the workpiece. The advantage of such devices is the fact that due to their special design, they are very easy to use, and their use eliminates the crushing of the workpiece.
To work with thick sections, it is best to use a do-it-yourself hydraulic manual profile bender. Thanks to the hydraulic pressure of tens of tons, there should be no difficulties in working with such parts.
How to make a profile bender with your own hands
As noted above, for those who work in the construction industry, the best option would be to get a functional stationary device. If the amount of work is small, and you need a home repair assistant, then you can make a manual profile bender with your own hands.
Dimensions, as well as design, are selected according to the size of the blanks. For pipes with a diameter of up to 20 mm, a simple design can be made: iron pins fixed on the base. For bending, it is necessary to place the workpiece between the pins and apply force in the desired direction. If you need to deform thicker pipes, you will have to make a more powerful profile bender with your own hands. The drawings and design of such a device will be somewhat more complicated. But you can still manage.
You will need rollers for profile bending. With our own hands we make them with a round section, which will need to be installed on the base. The radius of the roller must match the radius of the workpiece. The ends of the pipe located between the rollers on the one hand are fixed to the winch, on the other hand they are fixed on the base. When the winch is actuated, the workpiece will bend.
Let's consider another way how you can make a simple profile bender with your own hands. The first step is to prepare a cement mortar. Cement and sand are mixed in proportions of one to four. Next, it is necessary to place sections of the eightieth pipe on the site with a gravel cushion. From each other they should be at a distance of 50 mm. After this, the solution should be poured, making sure that the pipe sections are in a vertical position. Until the solution is completely dry, all further work is suspended.
In order to avoid unwanted cracks and buckling during operation, the billet pipe is filled with quartz sand. On the one hand, it must be plugged with a wooden cone plug with holes to remove the resulting gases. After that, the pipe should be heated to a dark cherry hue. After the workpiece has cooled, the remaining space should be filled with sand. In order to avoid voids, it is recommended to periodically tap the pipe with a hammer.
Recommendations forworkpiece bending depending on heat
- Right angle - warm-up interval=pipe diameter X 6.
- 60 degrees - warm-up interval=pipe diameter X 4.
- 45 degrees - warm-up interval=pipe diameter X 3.
Heating stops after complete removal of scale from the workpiece, which indicates optimal heating. In the case when sparks appear on the surface of the part, it can be concluded that the workpiece is overheated. The pipes are bent in one go, otherwise the structure of the metal may be broken.
A machine designed for hot bending of parts must be provided with a template, the absence of which will entail some difficulties in operation. In addition, do not ignore the safety rules. For example, it is forbidden to be in front of a wooden cork during the pipe deformation process. After the pipe is deformed using the hot method, it remains to remove the cork and sand from it. It is worth noting the popularity that such a profile bending machine received. Do-it-yourself drawings will have to be done. Otherwise, the accuracy of the design will be distorted. It will be useful to consolidate theoretical information on how to make a profile bender with your own hands. Photos and information about this are available in our article.
Disadvantages of homemade machines
- Difficulty in minimizing workpiece bending radius error.
- Limitation in the bend radius.
- The work on these machines is very complex, so doing a large amount of work is easyimpractical.
- Difficulty in bending pipes and billets with a large section.
- Difficulty in changing the shape in different parts of the workpiece.
If there is a need to work with parts that have a small section, you can get by with a simple profile bender, consisting of two pins and a base. When deforming thicker parts, one should carefully consider their design features. Particular attention is required when working with pipes, because for them there is a dependence of the maximum allowable bending radius on the wall thickness. In the public domain, you can find special commemorative tables for choosing the maximum radius.
Despite the fact that the process of making a machine with your own hands may seem too complicated and will scare many away, savings compared to buying a finished product can reach several tens of thousands of rubles. This argument in favor of self-made profile benders can be called very weighty.
