Many of those who are accustomed to do housework with their own hands, know that in construction, as well as in repair, 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 intended. Ready-made machines on the market are a very expensive pleasure. In order to save money, you can make a profile bending machine 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 bending machine with your own hands.
Why is a profile bending machine needed?
The list of tasks this tool can handle is huge. When laying a cable or pipeline for gas, water supply systems, you will probably need to bend the pipes. For such purposes, a profile bending machine is simply indispensable, without it, the installation process will turn into flour. Metal profiles for any construction needs lend themselves perfectly to deformation with this tool. Various angles, channels and fittings will not resist the onset of the profile bending as part of the tasks of construction and repair. Also, bending machines are widely used in the production of various pipes and profiles, whether it is PVC or steel pipes, copper or aluminum.
The machine, including the self-made profile bending machine, makes it possible to deform a part without heating it, that is, the principle of cold rolling is used. A very significant advantage is that you need one rental in order for the part to be ready. With it, you can make a circle, spiral or other various forms of metal billets.
Today, at least one large industrial sector is unlikely to be without this tool: energy, automotive, petrochemical, and so on. There is nothing intricate in work on this machine, everything happens simply: the part is rolled between the upper and side rollers, which are used for pressing.
What is a profile bend constructively?
This tool can be provided with a mechanical, hydraulic or electric drive. Often performed in a portable version, also has a very compact size and low weight. The package may include various nozzles that make this machine versatile for any kind of workpiece.
Varieties
- Machine with a movable top roller. By design, it is the simplest, because only one roller is driven. This design allows you to accurately calculate the bending radius of the workpiece, making corrections for metal deformation. Such profile bends can be called the most popular at the present time.
- Machine with a movable left roller. Using this type of machine, you can easily make a spiral bend, while it is able to perform the functions provided for by other types of devices.
- Machine with movable bottom rollers. It is used for bending large-sized parts, since thanks to two movable rollers the force is distributed optimally.
- A machine with all moving rollers. By design, this is the most complex device. Due to the mobility of all the rollers, the capabilities of this machine include the functionality of all types of profile benders.
How does the device work?
Regardless of whether a profile bending machine is made with one's own hands or whether it is factory-made, the main principle of operation of this tool is precisely the rental of blanks, and not the bend. 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 the mechanical structure are 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. The shortcomings arising during this time are eliminated. After that, the parts to be bent must be cleaned of oil and debris. The part is located between the shafts, after which the rolling process begins.
Type of bending machine: electric
Basically, such devices have large dimensions, therefore, their stationary installation is mandatory. Electric profile benders have high accuracy, and also do not reduce the strength of parts during rolling.
Hydraulic
Such a system is generally intended for industry. When installing water supply and sewage systems, such machines are simply irreplaceable. Their main advantage is high speed and ease of operation. But this is not all that will make you happy with your own profilegib. The dimensions of the workpieces that can be bent with such a machine are very diverse.
Manual
This type is considered the most budget. Due to its compactness, it is possible to carry such a profilegib manually with your own hands. The drawings of such a machine do not include any basis. True, working on such an instrument is not very easy. Firstly, the bending process requires a lot of effort from the user, and secondly, the 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 work, this work will be possible.
Varieties of Hand Tools
There are several options that allow you to make a profile bending machine with your own hands. Drawings of the first option are the most popular. In such machines, moving rollers act on the workpiece, resulting in bending. The workpiece bends against the fixed part of the machine.
The next option is a device in which the frame moves towards the workpiece. The advantage of such devices is the fact that, thanks to the special design, they are very easy to use, and also when using them, the workpiece is eliminated.
For working with thick sections, it is best to use a hydraulic manual profile bending machine with your own hands. Due to the pressure created by hydraulics of tens of tons, difficulties in working with such parts should not arise.
How to make a profile bend yourself
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 profile bending machine yourself.
Dimensions, as well as design, are selected according to the size of the workpieces. For pipes with a diameter of up to 20 mm, a simple construction can be made: iron pins fixed to the base. For bending, it is necessary to position 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 bending machine with your own hands. The drawings and design of such a device will be somewhat more complicated. But you can still cope.
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 are fixed to the winch on one side and fixed to the base on the other. When the winch is actuated, the workpiece will bend.
Consider another way how you can make a simple profilegib with your own hands. First of all, it is necessary to prepare a cement mortar. Mixes cement and sand in proportions of one to four. Next, you need to place on the site with a gravel cushion segments of the eightieth pipe. They should be 50 mm apart. After this, pour the solution, making sure that the pipe sections are in an upright position. Before the solution is completely dry, all further work is suspended.
In order to prevent unwanted cracks and bulging during operation, the billet pipe is filled with quartz sand. On the one hand, it must be plugged with a wooden cone plug with openings for the discharge of the resulting gases. After this, the pipe should be heated to a dark cherry shade. After the workpiece has cooled, fill the remaining space with sand. In order not to form voids, it is recommended to hammer the pipe periodically with a hammer.
Recommendations for bending the workpiece depending on heat
- Right angle - heating interval = pipe diameter X 6.
- 60 degrees - heating interval = pipe diameter X 4.
- 45 degrees - heating 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, we can conclude that the workpiece is overheated. Pipes bend in one run, otherwise the metal structure 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 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 bender received. Do it yourself with your own hands. Otherwise, the accuracy of the design will be distorted. It will be useful to consolidate theoretical information on how to make a profile bend with your own hands. Photos and information on this are available in our article.
Disadvantages of homemade machines
- The difficulty is to minimize the error of the bending radius of the workpiece.
- Limited bending radius.
- Work on such machines is very difficult, so the implementation of a large amount of work is simply impractical.
- Difficulty in bending pipes and workpieces with a large cross section.
- Difficulty in changing the shape in different parts of the workpiece.
If there is a need to work with parts having a small cross-section, you can do with the simplest profile bender, consisting of two pins and a base. When deforming thicker parts, you should carefully consider their design features. Particular attention is required for working with pipes, because for them there is a dependence of the maximum allowable bending radius on the wall thickness. In free access, you can find special commemorative tables to select the maximum radius.
Despite the fact that the process of making a machine with your own hands may seem too complicated and scare away many, the savings compared to buying a finished product can reach several tens of thousands of rubles. This argument in favor of home-made profile benders can be called very significant.