DIY rolling machine. Homemade pipe bender for profile pipes

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When manufacturing metal structures from profile pipes, the need to bend them often arises. Arched ceilings, greenhouse frames, elements of playgrounds - this is just a small list of objects that require the installation of rounded profiles. In production, special equipment is used to produce pipes with a given radius of curvature. Considering the bulkiness and high cost of such machines, their purchase is impractical for irregular use for domestic purposes. For a home workshop or garage, you can make a profile bender yourself. Everything you need for this can be found in the same workshop or found in the garages of friends and acquaintances. Interested in this design? Then put on your work clothes and get to work!

Roll forming machine. What is it for?

Universal production bending machine

The purpose of the roll forming machine is indicated by its name. This is the bending of metal profile pipes in order to obtain a certain radius of curvature in the required area or along the entire length of the workpiece. Using a profile bender, or pipe bender in other words, you can perform several technological operations with rolled metal of various types:

bending metal rods or reinforcement, including spring steel workpieces;
bending of profile metal products of square or rectangular type;
getting knees out round pipes or bending them at the desired angle;
rounding of parts of any length from rolled products (angles, I-beams, channels).

There are several models of bending machines. Some allow you to apply force only on a certain area of the workpiece. Others roll the pipe between rollers, applying pressure along the entire length. For some reason, it was the latter that received the name “profile benders” from experts, although both of them directly relate to the same type of equipment. By the way, rolling a workpiece allows you to obtain a product of complex configuration without preheating, and bends can be made at an angle from 1° to 360° in arbitrary planes.

Rolling type profile bending

Just like their industrial counterparts, homemade profile benders are electrically driven or powered by muscle traction. Of course, the use of an electric motor not only makes it easier to process workpieces, but also significantly speeds it up.

Classification of profile benders

Depending on the type of drive, which, in turn, directly affects the power and productivity of the machine, profile benders are divided into several types.

Hydraulic machines

Hydraulic driven roll forming machine. Powerful and very expensive

Hydraulic pipe benders are industrial equipment, therefore they have high power and are designed for permanent installation. Such units are used primarily in small-scale and mass production, when it is required to obtain a large number of blanks of the same type. The hydraulic drive completely removes the load from the operator, giving him the ability to control the machine by pressing buttons.

Advantages of hydraulic machines:

high speed;
complete absence of manual labor;
ease of operation;
possibility of bending a large cross-section profile.

The disadvantages of devices of this type include high cost, stationary design and complexity due to the use of a hydraulic drive.

Electric profile benders

Electric profile bender with screw drive. Inexpensive and functional

Bending machines using electric motors are also stationary equipment, since they require connection to an electrical network. An electric drive is usually combined with a screw drive, which reduces the cost of equipment, but also makes it impossible to bend large cross-section profiles. That is why such machines are found in small enterprises and even in private workshops. By the way, there are designs homemade devices With electric drive, which function no worse than their factory counterparts.

Advantages of electric profile benders:

relatively low cost;
workpiece processing speed;
simplicity of design;
high bending accuracy;
possibility of using digital machine control technologies.

The disadvantages include the same lack of mobility and the inability to bend oversized profiles.

Manual machines

Manual profile bending. Cheap, mobile option

Manual bending equipment is simple, compact and low cost. Thanks to the simple design with drive rollers and a movable roller, working with profile benders of this type does not require any qualifications. If necessary, the machine can be easily moved to the installation site, and the affordable price of such devices makes them wide application in the household. Of course, the design is not without its drawbacks:

there is no way to accurately control the bending radius;
increased processing time for workpieces;
high physical stress on the operator;
processing profiles with a small cross-section.

The advantages and simplicity of the design of manual profile benders make them attractive for manufacturing in artisanal conditions, which is why such machines have gained immense popularity among home craftsmen. By the way, manual bending devices can be transferred to the middle category, if necessary, supplementing the design with an electric drive.

Design and principle of operation of bending units

Design of the simplest rolling type profile bender

The main elements of a roll forming machine are shafts mounted on a durable metal frame. In this case, a pair of rolling rollers is responsible for the longitudinal movement of the workpiece, and a movable roller provides pressure on the part. Depending on the design of the unit, the clamping force is adjusted within wide limits using a screw pair, a jack or a hydraulic mechanism. The rolling rollers are driven by an electric motor or manually. The latter option is used on small devices and is most often repeated by craftsmen at home.

In addition, there are other designs of profile benders:

units with a left movable roller are used to produce spirals. Most often, such machines are equipped with CNC and allow you to bend parts, precisely controlling the bending gradient;
machines with movable lower shafts bend large workpieces, therefore they are equipped with a hydraulic drive. The presence of a position controller for each shaft makes it possible to obtain parts of complex shapes, even twisting the workpieces into a spiral;
models in which all rollers are movable represent the elite of roll forming equipment and can work with parts of any configuration and thickness.

The main difference between profile bending machines and other pipe bending equipment is that the configuration of the workpiece is changed not by bending around a stationary roller, but by cold rolling.

This allows you to change the configuration of workpieces of any section and length. This design will serve as the basis for a homemade machine, which we propose to make yourself.

A diagram that shows the operating principle of a rolling pipe bender

Required tools and materials To manufacture a machine for bending profile pipes, you will need a fairly large number of parts, but this does not mean that you will have to buy all the items on the list. Predominant number necessary materials

can be found in any garage or workshop. Here's what you'll need during the process:

Every craftsman will have the tools that he will need during the work process:
angle grinder;
electric drill;
set of metal drills;
hammer;
welding machine;

set of open-end and socket wrenches.

The only difficulty you will have to face is making the drive rollers and the pressure roller. Only the lucky owners of such equipment have the opportunity to turn them from a workpiece on a lathe. However, do not despair - in any organization there is a turner who will inexpensively produce parts according to the submitted drawings. The remaining elements of the machine can be used used.

Everything you need to make a profile bender The chain transmission mechanism can be borrowed from the gas distribution mechanism drive car engines

, and the bearing housings (and the bearings themselves) are from old agricultural machinery.

Options for manufacturing manual roll forming machines

To make a roll forming machine, it is not necessary to exactly repeat the existing design. It is much easier to create a device according to your own drawings, based on what you have at hand. This will save time and money and make it possible to design a device that is ideal both for its purpose and for its installation location. That is why you can find many devices on the Internet that use the same principle, but differ in execution.

One of the designs allows radial bending of rectangular profile pipes due to the use of two rollers, one of which is movable and the other is a support (guide). The workpiece is deformed to the desired radius by pressing and moving the working roller around the guide. The device body is made of steel sheet up to 8 mm thick and metal corners. To avoid involuntary displacement of the workpiece, before bending it is clamped between a stationary roller and a specially installed stop.

Homemade rolling bending machine for profile pipes

More universal is a rolling type machine, the design of which is described above.

In addition, there are other, truly simple designs that allow you to bend pipes according to a template. Unfortunately, the quality and accuracy of the deformation performed leaves much to be desired, and to obtain a different radius, a new template will have to be made.

Devices for bending pipes according to a template

When making a hand-held machine, some points should be taken into account:

so that when bending large workpieces the profile bender does not tip over, its bed is made stable and massive. The best material a channel or I-beam can be considered for manufacturing;
The machine rollers must have low roughness and increased hardness. It is better if their configuration follows the shape of the profiles of the most used sizes;
the housing design must ensure a change in the distance between the axes of the drive shafts. The increased distance will make it possible to roll workpieces with a large cross-section, then, with a decrease in the interaxial distance, it will be possible to obtain bends of small radius;
The drive lever must ensure ease of rotation during operation, so it should not be made too short.

Most connections in the manufacture of profile benders are made using welding machine. However, it will not be possible to completely do without bolted connections - moving structural elements are attached in this way.

Making a rolling structure with your own hands

For self-made We recommend using the most common design of a roll forming machine with two lower shafts and a pressure roller. The easiest way is to install a manual drive on the unit, which, if necessary, can be easily converted into an electric one.

Device drawings

As already mentioned, it is better to design a profile bender yourself, based on your own conditions and preferences. In your work, you can rely on the drawings of the machines, which the craftsmen who made them are happy to share.

Assembly instructions

Manufacturing of drive (support) shafts and rollers. It is better to entrust this work to a turner, after which the parts must be hardened.
The manufacture of shafts and support rings will have to be entrusted to a turner
It is possible to make cylindrical rollers without grooves for profile pipes. In this case, two restrictive rings are made for each shaft. Such cylindrical attachments are installed taking into account the width of the workpiece and secured with bolts.
Bearings are installed in cages. If it is not possible to use factory parts, they can also be turned on a lathe.
Shaft supports with installed bearings
Sprockets are fitted onto the shafts and the location of the keyways is determined. The grooves for the key can be cut using a drill and file or a Dremel.
The keyway can be made with a drill
Holes are drilled in the restrictive nozzles and threads are cut for the clamping bolts.
Thread for fixing restrictor rings
A platform is made for installing the pressure roller. To do this, take a thick metal plate or channel, in which two pairs of holes are drilled for attaching cages with bearings. In addition, a hydraulic jack will be installed on the reverse side, so in some cases it will be necessary to cut off one flange of the channel.
Upper roller support
Screw the pressure shaft and weld eyes made of M8 nuts to the platform for attaching the springs.
Using welding equipment, the supporting legs and frame are made. Particular attention should be paid to the part of the housing in which the support platform top roller. The corners that will form it must be even, and when installing them, the geometry must be carefully observed using measuring equipment.
Bed with installed top roller platform
The platform with the installed roller is suspended on springs to the upper cross member of the frame.

A unit for bending metal profiles, pipes, and rolled products of different sections is called a profile bender. Depending on the complexity of the cross-section of the profile, rollers with a simple side surface are used, or it is bored to fit an angle, an I-beam, a channel, or a T-beam. This is done so that it repeats the appearance of the section at the end of the processed shaped steel.

Operating principle of the machine

Using hydraulics, the overall clamping force is ensured, thus deforming metal profiles of large thickness. Pipe benders in the factory produce a force of more than 8 tons, this indicator affects the choice of machine control: manual or electric. Devices with forced and manual clamping bend rolled metal, ensuring cold deformation of the metal. Bending action in various machines differs in direction:

The pressure shaft moves in a downward direction. The top-shaft arrangement is in demand when operating roll forming equipment with electrical control. In machines with a jack, this direction of movement of the working shaft is rarely used.
The working shaft moves from bottom to top, and the side rollers are fixed statically. This scheme is used in units with hydraulic jacks; the position changes when the central roll moves.

These two working schemes are equally effective, although they differ in the location of the working and auxiliary shafts, as well as the type of pressing device.

Homemade bending unit

In the workshop, they most often design and assemble a profile bending machine with their own hands. Drawings are made for a unit designed for metallic profile, which in cross-section has a diameter of 6 cm or less, since bending powerful rolled products requires a professional electric hydraulic drive.

Selection of designs and materials

Materials are selected taking into account their performance. For the base, take beams that are not curved; rust on them can occupy an area of no more than 10%. So that work does not have to be interrupted in search of missing materials, prepare the elements in advance:

bearing units with pressed rolling rollers;
channel, it should be taken No. 100 or 80;
monolithic steel shafts with a diameter of at least 80 mm;
metal rod with a diameter of 12 mm;
steel strip with a thickness of 5 mm or more;
bicycle chain or timing chain from a Zhiguli gear;
engraving and simple nuts, washers, M20 bolts, the last length is 60 mm.

To make the frame, two pieces of a channel 20 cm long (for transverse guides) and two blanks of 70 cm each (for longitudinal posts) are cut. At the ends of the last two blanks, an angle of 70˚ is formed using a grinder.

Initial stage

To install bearing units, holes are marked at the top of the longitudinal struts for their fastening. To do this, use a core and mark where the bolts will be located. After this, the bearings are removed to the side, and holes are drilled in the marked places using an electric drill using a metal drill.

The dimensions and location of the side fastenings are not marked in the drawing, but are selected at the place of manufacture; these parameters depend on the dimensions of the shafts that are prepared for installation in the structure. Through holes are drilled in the fasteners; they are intended for mounting the shaft. The edges of the holes are reinforced with additional linings made from a metal strip so that the thickness of the passage (wall) is 10 mm.

A piece equal to the width of the shaft is separated from the channel using a grinder; its ends are formed at 45˚. It is needed to make a clamping unit. A frame for attaching the shaft is assembled from the top crossbar and two side posts in the shape of the letter P. The remaining channel is used to cut two 50 cm sections to make a guide structure.

Main production cycle

To prepare the elements to be bolted together, two pieces are cut from the steel strip. They are designed so that they fit freely into the cavity of the channel. For M12 bolts, holes of the appropriate diameter are drilled in pieces of plates, retreating from the edges at a distance of 10 mm. The finished parts are placed inside the channel and welded.

The prepared longitudinal and transverse parts are connected by welding, resulting in the bed of a roll forming machine. During the assembly process, a shaft is inserted into the structure of the top and two sides. Guide vertical sections of the channel, which were prepared at the initial stage of assembly, are welded to the frame; the clamping mechanism will move along them.

A 22 mm hole is drilled in the upper part of the clamping device for an M20 bolt. The end of the bolt fits freely into the hole, but does not fall out of it; for this, the end is soldered using welding. The guides for moving the carriage are made from two sections of channel, the length of the blanks is equal to the distance between the runners. The holes in the crossbars are made precisely so that they coincide with those previously drilled in the guide parts of the purlins. A hole in the center is drilled in accordance with the diameter of the nut, then it is welded on top.

To fasten the top crossbar, a bolted connection is provided; hardware is inserted into it. Tighten the bolts using engraving nuts. Bearing units are attached to the top of the frame base, and stationary shafts are placed on them. Bearing assemblies are secured with bolts through holes using engraving nuts.

To connect the hub to the gears, it is welded under the chain. The diameter of the hub must correspond to this size at the spindle shaft. A protrusion in the form of a groove is welded on it, and a passage in the form of a groove is machined on the surface of the shaft; when installed, they must coincide. Sometimes, in order to simplify things, the hubs are welded onto the shaft. The gears are then placed on the spindles and secured with two nuts: a locknut and a main nut.

Final works

In the middle part of the guide beam, placed vertically, an axis for the gear and the gate are welded under the gate. The work is performed from the side of the installed gears. The axis is positioned in relation to the guides so that the chain, if necessary, can be removed, and in the working position it is tensioned.

A rod is welded to a steel strip about 50 cm in size, which will serve as a handle. It turns out to be a gate to which a hub is welded from the second end. To make it, they take the rest of the pipe, and it turns out that the diameter of the hub is equal to the internal size of the gears.

The gear is pressed onto the hub handle, it is used to wind the chain; a vice is used for this work. To speed up the pressing process, heat the gear to 120˚, this will cause the mounting hole to expand, and after putting it on it will decrease, and the gear will receive a tight fit.

They complete the assembly of the clamping unit by making a kind of handle; for this, a hole is drilled at the end of the bolt into which a piece of metal rod is inserted. Before throwing the chain over all three gears, attach the hub to the axle prepared in advance and tighten it with a locknut. It turns out to be a gearbox in order to transmit the torsional moment from the handle.

After completion of work, the machine is painted with oil compounds to prevent rust and corrosion from the surrounding atmosphere. Those parts of the unit that interact with each other’s surfaces or rub during operation are not painted.

Features of drawings

Before making a profile bending machine with your own hands, the drawings and dimensions are calculated independently or taken from the Internet or printed publications. In this case, you need to thoroughly understand the design, since unsuccessful designs will lead to loosening of the frame over time and violation of the specified profile bending parameters. Sometimes inaccurately installed shafts cause the profile to twist or create an angular radius.

Using the finished drawings, you can make a frame, position the shafts, attach guide rails for the carriage and prepare the gearbox on the shaft. For choosing the surface of the rollers, such information diagrams are only suitable if they are intended for bending exactly the same profile as the master’s. But in addition to the configuration, rolled beams differ in cross-sectional size, flange thickness and other parameters (just refer to the product range). Drawing without changes can only be used if it:

does not contain technical errors, for this you need to contact an experienced mechanic, he will determine the functionality of the selected circuit;
the technical side of the description is developed in detail, the assembly is clear, the drawing is provided with an extensive dimensional grid, all fastening methods are indicated, assembly units are drawn with sections and the interaction of adjacent elements is provided for;
the design of the machine does not require the use of little-known materials and components that cannot be purchased or ordered.

Based on the finished drawings, the master can correct some provisions, adjusting the diagrams to individual conditions. When performing assembly diagrams pay attention to such questions:

the surface configuration of the support and counter rollers is determined taking into account the shape of the shaped section of the rolled product, and not just the size at the end;
Some types of rolled products, for example, a corner or a channel, bend successfully if the direction of bending is taken into account when installing into the unit (the shelf is located down or up).

The peculiarity of choosing the side surface of the roller disk is that it is necessary to minimize the possibility of tearing out the profile and twisting it, as a result there should be no crumpled shelves. This is important not only for small sections, but also large profiles with thick flanges cannot withstand the load. Therefore, attention is paid to the design of the roller side during development.

Profiles with a relatively simple cross-section, for example, square or round (pipes), do not require complication of the side planes. In this case, the exterior is made flat and even, and if complex sections are bent, then they choose the following solutions:

The round or oval shape of the rod dictates the formation of a groove or a kind of groove with a cross-section of the appropriate type on the side plane of the roller.
To bend a profile of rectangular or square cross-section without protruding shelves, the lateral exterior of the disks is made of a regular rectangular shape with sides. In this case, the thickness of the disk is selected taking into account the fact that the external dimensions of the rolled product are exactly included in inner space between the sides that firmly hold the product.
If you need to bend a corner so that the inner side of the profile is on the outside of the resulting arch (bending along the outer side), then the surface of the working disk is made flat, but a bead is installed for holding. The support disk is made with a flat exterior, and the disks are shifted from one another to a distance of the thickness of the angle shelf.
In case of bending of a corner inside, the working roller is made flat, and the sides are provided on the disks of the stationary shafts.
When bending a channel, the situation is almost similar to the option with a corner. Bending along the outside requires making a bead on the plane of the working roller, while the stationary disks are made flat. Reverse bending requires retaining flanges on support disks, and the worker is performed with a flat exterior.
To work with an I-beam, the transverse side section of the working and stationary disks is made in such a size that it corresponds to the internal dimension between the profile flanges. The ends of the disks must fit tightly inside the I-profile and prevent its deformation.
To make an arch from I-beam, in which there will be shelves at the bottom and top (bending across the shelves), it is necessary to perform a complex configuration on the side planes of the roller, while two sides are made on the support and moving rollers.

It will not be possible to make a roll forming unit that is universal for all types of profiles. An option for a workshop that offers bending services would be to produce separate sets of three discs that are bolted to the shafts and replaced with others if necessary.

The simplest option available to most novice craftsmen is bending pipes according to a pre-made template. This method is used when it is necessary to obtain a large number of blanks of the same type.

Bending a pipe according to a wooden template is the easiest way to solve the problem

As a template, you can use a structure made of wooden boards. The thickness of the wood is chosen based on the diameter of the pipes being bent - the board should have a margin of 2–3 cm. To prevent the metal profile from sliding off the template during work, the ends are processed with a slight slope.

The structure is attached to the floor or other surface in any way, installing a stop for the pipe nearby. Having inserted the profile into the gap between the template and the thrust element, smoothly and carefully press on its other end, pressing the pipe against the template. To ease the pressing force, you can use a lever of a suitable size or install a winch.

A winch can facilitate the process of bending pipes using a template

In a similar way, you can bend a metal profile of small diameter. If it is necessary to change the configuration of a pipe larger than 1 inch, then the template is made from sections of powerful fittings. For this purpose in concrete slab holes are made along the required trajectory into which guides are inserted in the form of pins from sections of pipes, fittings, etc. The bending is performed by securing the edge of the metal profile by welding.

The advantage of this method is its cheapness and simplicity, however, the accuracy of the resulting blanks and the quality of their processing leave much to be desired. In addition, the template will have to be made every time you need to obtain a bend of a different radius.

Factory-made snail pipe bender

To produce a large number of similar workpieces with a small radius of curvature, you can use a snail pipe bender. This unit consists of two pulleys (wheels) of different diameters, mounted on shafts. Having fixed the end of the pipe on the impeller, use a roller smaller diameter(drive wheel) presses on the workpiece, simultaneously rolling it along the workpiece.

The most versatile and practical are homemade rolling pipe benders (bending machines), in which you can set any angle of deformation of rolled metal. The simplest design The rolling unit is a base with drive shafts fixed at a certain distance from each other.

Pressure on the pipe is carried out by a movable roller, and it is drawn through the rotation of the drive shafts. Screw devices, jacks, winches and electric motors are used as power drives for such devices. The rolling machine is the most difficult to replicate at home, as it requires turning and welding.

However, there are many variations of its design made by amateurs, indicating its high popularity this decision. With the help of such a device, bending of any configuration is obtained, and the process itself is often automated. The only thing that such a device cannot cope with is obtaining a minimum radius of curvature of a metal profile over a small segment.

Bending machine profile pipe structurally different from the usual. This is due, firstly, to the greater resistance of the profile to bending loads, and secondly, to the fact that the bending radius usually required is large. Therefore, the design contains three rollers. Two of them are installed permanently, one remains movable.

The two outermost rollers are fixedly mounted on the body. They are raised above the plane of the base. For the middle roller, a special U-shaped frame is welded. A long, large-diameter clamping screw is installed in the middle of its jumper. A third bead is attached to the lower end of this screw (can be welded). By rotating this screw, the roller lowers and rises, changing the bending radius of the profile pipe.

A cloud is welded to one of the stationary rollers, with the help of which the pipe is rolled through the machine. To make it possible to apply less effort for rolling, two stationary rollers are connected using a chain. To effectively transmit torque, sprockets are welded to the rollers (possibly from a bicycle), and a chain is selected for them. Such simplest mechanism makes bending a profile pipe much easier.

In this design, the right or left roller is made movable. It moves along with part of the base. This part is connected to the rest of the frame using powerful metal hinges.

Drawing of a bending machine for profile pipes with a lifting platform

You can change the height using a jack, as shown in the drawing. The height of the platform in this case is selected depending on the height of the jack. The bending radius is changed by lifting the movable part of the table.

Unlike the previous design, this pipe bender for a profile pipe is driven from the central roller - a handle is welded to it. To reduce the required force, you can also weld the sprocket to two fixed rollers and transmit torque using a chain.

The base of the pipe bender is made from a channel or two welded angles. The thickness of the shelves is at least 3 mm; select the width of the shelves and the back of the channel to match the existing parts. One rule - the base must be massive and reliable.

Several holes can be made along the edges of the platform. Through them you can fix the machine to some heavy base using large diameter self-tapping screws. Fixation is necessary, since when bending pipes with a thick wall, significant forces have to be applied and it is more convenient to work if the machine is firmly fixed.

A few words about rollers. They must be made of good, high-quality, preferably hardened steel. It is on the rollers and on the axles that hold them that most of the load falls.

It should also be said about the shape of the rollers. They should not be smooth - there should be rollers along the edges that will prevent the pipe from “walking” during rolling. Only under such conditions will the arc from the profile pipe be smooth and not twisted. Ideally, each pipe size needs its own rollers. But then the design becomes more complicated - they must be made removable, and a reliable method of fastening must be thought out. The second option is to make videos of complex shapes, such as in the photo. Carve several steps for different pipe sizes.

In the same photo you can see that the upper part of the bed is not smooth, but toothed. With the help of such teeth, the rollers can be rearranged to different distances and thus also adjust the bending radius.

In general, homemade bending machines for profile pipes are assembled from what is at hand or what they can find/buy inexpensively. Those who have the opportunity grind out the rollers and insert bearings. Those who do not have such an opportunity use what they have - even bushings from bicycle wheels. In general, you need to understand the design and

Explanations and photos are good, but seeing the assembly process or the operation of the finished unit is much more useful. The first video shows the process of assembling (welding) a manual pipe bender for a profile pipe. The option with a movable middle roller was selected. The second video is about the operation of a simple pipe bender with a movable platform.

There are roll benders various designs, V industrial conditions fairly large machines with electric or hydraulic drive are used; for bending a small number of products of small diameters - more compact manual or electric devices.

Universal production bending machine

bending metal rods or reinforcement, including spring steel workpieces;
bending of profile metal products of square or rectangular type;
making elbows from round pipes or bending them at the desired angle;
rounding of parts of any length from rolled products (angles, I-beams, channels).

Rolling type profile bending

Depending on the type of drive, which, in turn, directly affects the power and productivity of the machine, profile benders are divided into several types.

Hydraulic driven roll forming machine. Powerful and very expensive

Hydraulic pipe benders are industrial equipment, therefore they have high power and are designed for permanent installation. Such units are used primarily in small-scale and mass production, when it is necessary to produce a large number of blanks of the same type. The hydraulic drive completely removes the load from the operator, giving him the ability to control the machine by pressing buttons.

What is a pipe bender used for?

Profile pipe is a hollow profile of square, rectangular, oval cross-section with a thin wall. Profile pipes are very widely used in construction, industry, mining, and agriculture. Square and rectangular products are also used in everyday life: during the installation of metal structures, for the manufacture of furniture, garden buildings, sheds, greenhouses, fences, gazebos, awnings, pavilions, pergolas.

At the same time, steel has a certain plasticity - thin-walled pipes can be bent. But when bent, the pipe can bend, form kinks and folds - these defects reduce the strength of the pipes and do not look very aesthetically pleasing. Therefore, they are used for bending special devices– pipe benders.

When laying pipelines and manufacturing bent structures, bending allows you to minimize the number of welds and connecting fittings, which allows you to save a lot of money.

Making a rolling structure with your own hands

The use of a special tool that allows you to easily and simply bend pipes, including profile ones, can already be considered a plumbing tradition. Meanwhile, over the entire period of plumbing practice, a number of simplest ways to obtain bends without using a special tool have been invented.

Device drawings

Classification of profile benders

Pipe benders are classified according to the bending method and type of drive. In addition, pipe benders can be universal or specialized: for round or profile pipes.

The bending process itself can be hot or cold, with or without filling the inside of the pipe with filler (sand or salt).

Bending devices can be manual, hydraulic, electric, hybrid - combining molding elements with hydraulic and electric drives. There are industrial units for bending thick-walled pipes, in which the bending point is heated by induction.

Hydraulic devices are manual and stationary, which can bend workpieces with a diameter of up to 75 mm. Electrically driven units (electromechanical) can bend pipes of the most different diameters. Electromechanical units can also bend thin-walled tubes with good quality bending, without folds or creases (see photo - it shouldn’t be like that).

Hybrid units are stationary, they have a hydraulic drive on part of the shafts, and an electric drive on the other part of the shafts.

Manual devices are used either as portable ones (they are used close to the place where metal structures are assembled) or for bending small diameters or soft workpieces (copper, stainless steel, plastic). In a household plot or when working in an apartment, pipes of small diameters and in limited quantities are used, so at home it is enough to acquire a manual pipe bender.

According to the method of bending pipes, profile bending can be:

Roller - the workpiece is formed by passing between three rollers.
Crossbow - the workpiece is bent when placed in a special shape, in appearance the design resembles a crossbow - hence the name. One device is usually accompanied by a set of molds for workpieces of various sizes and for various angles and bending diameters.
Segmented - the workpiece is bent by a special segment, while being stretched around the segment.

Lever – designed for manual bending of thin-walled pipes.
Spring - used for copper or plastic pipes, a conductor spring made of thick wire is inserted into the workpiece (sometimes put on top) and manual bending is performed.

Mandrel - with filler (sand, salt) or mandrel installed inside the workpiece. The pipe is wound onto a winding roller; a mandrel or filler protects the bend from wrinkles.
Mandless - the workpiece is wound on a bending roller.

How to make a pipe bender for a professional pipe yourself

1st method

To make and use a bending machine for a profile pipe, you need to prepare two pieces of channel, two cuttings of fingers that are part of the tractor tracks, and four corners.

To bend the workpiece you will need a jack capable of developing a force of 5 tons or more. In this case, it will require its modernization by installing a steel platform on the retractable rod, for the manufacture of which a worn-out pulley can be used, having a “stream” width comparable to the pipe profile.

The frame of the future machine is assembled from corners fixed to a steel plate by welding. A total of four corners are used, having a flange from 60 to 80 mm, at the upper ends of which two channels are fixed by welding. To adjust the bend angle, it is necessary to have symmetrical holes in the walls of the channels that need to be drilled.

To bring the finished machine to its starting position for work, it is enough:

insert the axles (fingers) into the holes obtained in the channels and fasten the rollers to them as stops for the workpiece;
raise the jack platform to such a level that the workpiece can pass into the gap formed;
install the workpiece in the machine for the profile pipe and create the required bend using a jack, using its functionality.

2nd method

A homemade pipe bender for a rolled profile pipe implies that the workpiece will be laid on side rollers and pressed on top by a third one. After fixing the pipe in this position, all that remains is to drive the shafts through a chain transmission to achieve the desired bend.

To make a machine for rolling profile pipes you will need:

Attention! It is problematic to manufacture a functional rolling pipe bender without the appropriate calculations and drawings. However, not everyone has the necessary knowledge for this, so it is best to use ready-made documentation.

Making your own pipe bender for a profile is a completely feasible task that must be correlated with certain goals. If you plan to carry out such work only as a one-time event, then you can assemble a wooden structure that is quite capable of withstanding short term operation.

To assemble a stationary device required for bending pipes, you must do the following:

mount metal carcass by connecting its elements using bolts and welding;
install the axles and shafts on them in accordance with the existing drawing, observing the placement levels: two above the third;
assemble the chain drive used to power the machine, which will require not only a chain, which can be borrowed, for example, from an old motorcycle, but also three gears;
attach a handle to one of the shafts.

You can make the simplest profile bending machine yourself. This job is quite possible home handyman. The quality of homemade products is practically not inferior to industrial designs. The performance, of course, differs from models with an electric drive, but the house and estate do not require a huge number of bent products.

Drawings and diagrams

Regardless of how you decide to make a pipe bender, you should first consider the scope of its application - decide what size and shape products you will bend, and with what bending radius. For garden designs and furniture, the bending radius can be 2.5 sides of the section (for round blanks– 5 radii), and can be 10-15-20 sides (for gazebos, greenhouses and other large structures). Then draw a drawing or diagram with exact dimensions. Without a drawing it is impossible to assemble a high-quality pipe bender.

The simplest pipe bender is a template cut out of boards and placed on a base - thick plywood or OSB. Rolled steel is bent by hand. The thickness of the boards should be greater than the diameter or side size of the workpiece - then the bending will be of better quality. You can make a template from hammered into solid foundation(preferably concrete) steel pegs or hooks.

Easy enough to assemble manual machine Volnova for profile blanks. On a solid metal plate fix the roller with a radius equal to the bending radius, and two metal plates with a second roller attached. The end of the pipe is clamped with a clamp, the roller on the plates rotates and bends the workpiece.

There is another version of a profile bender that you can make yourself - with three rollers.

To make pipe bending rollers or a rolling pipe bender you will need:

Metal frame (bed) made of rectangular channel.
A durable stand welded from square profiles, channels, angles, or a stable steel workbench.
Three rollers with shafts; the rollers must be turned in such a way that a groove is formed in them with dimensions equal to the dimensions of the bent profile; shafts and rollers are ordered from a turner.
Shaft bearings.
Chain.
Winch.
Clamp.
Corners for guides.

Tools:

Grinder with cutting discs.
Welding machine, electrodes.
Dye.
Electric drill.
Shaft mounts.

The frame is secured to a stand or workbench - welded to the stand, secured to the workbench with clamps. Weld the guides. Bearings are mounted on the frame, two lower shafts are mounted in the bearings, and rollers are mounted on the shafts. Shafts and rollers are ordered from a turner.

A double-row chain is put on the shafts, a winch is secured in the middle, and the chain is secured. The pressing movable shaft is secured. The upper pressure roller and shaft move along the guide using a screw.

Purpose and types

A pipe bender is an indispensable device when you need to delicately and accurately bend a round or profile metal pipe

The bending of metal profile pipes is directly related to their diameter, wall thickness and material of manufacture, therefore metal manufacturers always indicate the minimum radius of deformation in special tables.

Table for calculating bending radii steel pipes depending on diameter and wall thickness

Special devices - pipe benders - allow you to obtain a bend of the required curvature without damaging the part. Depending on the length of the fragment that needs to be bent, two types of devices are used:

lever pipe benders;
rolling units.

The most common products are lever-type pipe benders. In such devices, the force is applied in the right place, and the bend itself follows the shape of the segment (template), which in some devices can be removable. As a rule, such units include several segments for pipes various diameters.

In addition to segmental devices, the industry produces mandrel and crossbow pipe benders, the bending shape of which is set by two guide rollers and a pressure template (mandrel). This design allows cold processing of round steel pipes in short areas. By the way, compact crossbow pipe benders are the most popular tool among utility installers.

Simple, fast and high quality - these are the advantages of crossbow pipe benders that attract professional installers

Depending on the design of the lever bending device, it can have any type of drive:

hydraulic;
pneumatic;
electric.

With the development of metallurgy, the requirements for the equipment used in this field have also increased greatly, so that a modern high-performance rolling mill differs from its predecessors.

1 Purpose and role of the rolling mill

One of the most important areas of industry is metal production, and it is quite difficult to argue with this, because not only the state of the national economy, but also the economy of the entire state depends on how developed this industry is. It should be borne in mind that humanity’s need for this durable material constantly growing. Therefore, it is now almost impossible to imagine an industrial area where metallurgy would not be involved. It is used in mechanical engineering, construction, and shipbuilding - in general, the list goes on and on. The final ones technological stage production so the required material is to receive rental.

Of course, the result can only be achieved by using special equipment that performs rolling through plastic deformation. In general, a whole complex of machines works harmoniously in production; their functions include not only the main operation, but also a number of auxiliary ones. This is, for example, supply of raw materials, calibration of material, tilting, as well as transportation of already finished products. In addition, processes such as cutting, marking, straightening, packaging and, of course, transfer to the warehouse are also automated. But in this article we will analyze precisely the rental stage and the corresponding units.

2 What types of rolling mills can there be?

Types of rolling mills can be divided by purpose depending on the type of product produced. So there are blanking and crimping mills, the latter include slabs and bloomings. This is a kind of rough equipment; their function is to process a large ingot of metal into a workpiece, which is subsequently supplied for rolling to other workshops; the products on different types of these machines differ in geometric shape. After them, the material goes to section, pipe or wire machines, where more specialized rolling occurs.

Long-section mills have quite a variety of capabilities. So, many beams, corners, different types profiles, rails and broadband steel. The types of these machines are divided depending on the given program, so there are large-section, medium-section, rail-rolling machines, as well as an MPS installation for the production of profiles. Sheet units can be either hot or cold rolled. The products produced are divided, depending on their dimensions, into slabs with a thickness of 50 to 350 mm, 3–50 mm sheets and strips (1.2–20 mm). The latter, as a rule, are wound into rolls weighing up to 50 tons.

With pipe rolling equipment, everything is clear from its name; it is necessary to obtain different diameters. This is how the following products are produced:

a continuous extension mill produces products with a cross-section of up to 110 mm;
on short-truth – 60–450 mm,
a three-roll mill produces thick-walled pipes with reduced wall thickness, the diameter of which is 35–200 mm;
for getting seamless pipes Pilgrim units with a fairly large diameter (400–700 mm) have found their application.

The last type of rolling equipment is special (parts rolling), which produces pipes and profiles no more than three meters long, as well as balls, screws, bent profiles, ribbed tubes, gears, etc. These blanks are then processed directly in the automotive industry. , furniture or other industries.

3 Design of a rolling mill - features of mechanisms

The design of a rolling mill includes three main units: working stands, electric motors and transmission devices. The former includes rolls, installation mechanisms, plate frames and wiring. Electric motors perform one of the most important functions - they rotate the rollers through transmission devices, consisting largely of couplings, gears and spindles.

The main characteristic of crimping and blanking machines is the diameter of the work roll, but if several stands are involved at once, then they are guided only by the numerical indicators of finishing, it is the value of its parameter that is usually mentioned in the name.

Section equipment usually consists of several successive stands, for example, universal mills have 5 or 3 stands, of which 3 or 2, respectively, have horizontal shafts with a diameter of approximately 1350 mm, and the shaft cross-section of the remaining ones is about 800 mm. Plate mills usually have one or two stands, the roll length is 3500–5500 mm; very often, in order to compress the side edges, they are equipped with additional stands with vertical rolls. The most common among strip rolling units are broadband ones, the number of stands in them is from ten to fifteen, the length of the shaft barrel ranges from 1500–2500 mm. They also have additional stands with vertical rolls.

As you can see, sometimes these units can take up a lot of space. In general, pipe rolling equipment mainly consists of 3 mills, since first a hole is pierced in the workpiece by screw rolling, then this workpiece should be pulled into a pipe, and the last operation is calibration, i.e., achieving the required diameter. The basis of parts rolling mechanisms is the principle of screw and transverse processing.

4 Is it possible to make a rolling machine with your own hands?

Of course, if we talk about large industrial production, then there can be no talk of any amateur performance here, but for home use You can make a rolling machine with your own hands. However, one should not underestimate such equipment, since with its help you can not only obtain wire of different sections, but also carry out straightening work or cutting sheet materials, the thickness of which will not exceed half a millimeter. So, we will need two racks, a top plate, 4 M10 screws and, accordingly, the same bolts, a steel rod with a diameter of 5 cm, bronze bushings and bearings, springs and stops, 2 gears and a gear.

We connect the racks to the slab with screws and bolts so that we get a fairly strong cage frame. 2 rollers are machined from the rod; in order to increase their hardness, hardening should be carried out. The lower shaft is mounted in racks using bronze bushings-bearings, and the upper one is mounted in sliders, so it can freely move vertically. To limit their upward movement, special stops are mounted in the plate, and springs are installed below, which tend to push the rolls apart.

Ensuring synchronous rotation of the stops occurs due to a gear located on the top plate. It consists of a gear on an axis pressed into the center of the plate; it transmits torque through gears located on the shank of the stops. This way you can adjust the gap size. There is a handle on the lower roller; when it rotates, it rotates and transmits torque through the same gear transmission to the upper one.

Thanks to special attachments, such as circular knives, cutting can be carried out sheet metal, and cylindrical rolls with shaped grooves will allow you to produce wire of the desired cross-section. If it is necessary to roll stiffeners, then you will need rollers with a symmetrical arrangement of groove and ridge. In general, the capabilities of this machine, considering that it is made at home, are simply impressive.

Hello. Today I want to tell you about my homemade pipe bender that I made this winter.
I've been thinking about building a machine like this for a long time. With its help, you can roll profile pipes, giving them an arc shape. This operation is in great demand - you can assemble, for example, a greenhouse, a canopy, a canopy over the entrance. You can give an interesting shape to the top edge of a gate or metal fence...

And this winter I found time and started doing this homemade project. When designing, I considered the following points:
Considering that I am not going to use it professionally, I decided to make a relatively lightweight design that is also easy to transport and will not take up much space when stored. (After all, I will bend pipes either near the house or at the dacha. I will not use it every year. And I certainly won’t have to bend large-section pipes). Therefore, I decided not to make a powerful stationary structure with a long service life...

There are many descriptions of similar machines on the Internet. Their operating principle is the same - they are based on three shafts, one of which is movable in a vertical plane. It is he who bends the pipe and, rolling along these shafts, it takes the shape of an arc.

... Basically, they are all divided into two types:
1. With a “breaking” frame:

2. With a movable central carriage.

The second type is more compact (albeit more complex), so I decided to make just this one.

In turn, pipe benders with a movable central carriage are also divided into two types: With a driving central shaft and with two driving outer shafts connected to each other by a drive chain.

If you make the central shaft leading, then it is possible to easily change the distance between the outer ones, which will provide additional adjustment of the work depending on the cross-section (and therefore rigidity) of various profile pipes.

At first I doubted whether there would be slippage if only one drive shaft was used, but after observing a pipe bender with one drive shaft in operation, I realized that for not particularly large sections this force was quite sufficient. But I’m not going to bend pipes with a height greater than, for example, 60 mm... That’s why I settled on such a device.

And after some time, I got a pipe bender, which you will see in this video:

So, in more detail... I needed:
1. Old faulty hydraulic jack
2. Profile pipes of various sections.
3. Circle with a diameter of 40 mm, a length of 500 mm.
4. Bearings 6206 4pcs
5. Bearings 6202 8 pcs.
6. Channel No. 65
7. Thrust bearings 2 pcs.
8. Hardware (bolts, nuts, washers, cotter pins)

I started by making the main working elements - shafts. I had a 40 mm round timber, half a meter long. It was possible to take a thicker one, but... I had this one!))). Therefore, I sawed it into three parts. Two - 130 mm each, and one - all that remains))))). On a lathe I turned shafts for bearings (up to 30 mm in diameter)

The shafts are ready. I started assembling the carriage. I decided to make it from the 65th channel - the 206th bearings fit well into it...

After I cut the channel to the required length, I drilled a hole in its center and welded it across the sides along the corner:

After that I started making the center screw. I took it from an old one hydraulic jack, which I found on scrap metal. When I was sure that it would never be a jack again, I decided to use it.

The screw itself had a diameter of 30 mm. In its end, I drilled a blind hole with an 8mm drill, hammered a pin in there and secured it with welding:

The screw in the jack was screwed into the piston. I cut him off top part(with thread) and another ring, 20 mm wide.

I put this ring on the screw, inserted the screw itself with a pin into the hole in the carriage and welded the ring to the carriage:

It will be seat for the support bearing. (I selected it according to the outer diameter)

I screwed a nut onto the stud and drilled a hole in the nut and in the stud:

It was only possible in high heels, but it seemed safer to me. The nut can now be secured with a cotter pin after assembling the unit. And the assembly, as you guessed, consists of a screw, a bearing, a carriage, a second bearing and a nut.

Now, when pressed, the screw will rest against the carriage through the upper bearing, and when lifted, the carriage will hang on it through the lower one.
On the sides of the carriage I welded a piece of 50 by 20 profile pipe - these will be the guides, and in the corners I drilled holes and cut M6 threads. The bolts securing the drive shaft clamps will be screwed into them.

I cut out the bearing mounting clamps themselves from tin - there is no need for strength there, as long as the shaft does not fall when the carriage is lifted:

Next I started making the top plate. It needs to be made very strong - it will bear all the force of the screw when it bends the pipe. Therefore, I made it from the same 65 channel. Since for the vertical racks I decided to use a 50 by 25 profile pipe (the distance between the flanges of the 65th channel is exactly 50 mm. The racks will fit into it and are secured with M10 bolts and nuts), then the width of the top plate should be 50 mm larger carriage width (2 times 25). I cut two such pieces of channel.

Another one was cut into half and spread lengthwise:

I inserted the threaded part cut from the jack piston into the center:

I cooked everything and trimmed off the excess:

Next, I started making the frame. It was also assembled from a profile pipe. I took the cross section 60 by 30:

I decided to make three positions for each shaft. I also made the mountings for the bearings from a profile pipe, so I cut 12 identical pieces of 50 mm each. (Here, and not only here, mine, which I told you about in a previous publication, helped me a lot):

After which I welded vertical posts and bearing mountings to the frame:

And also four “ears” along the edges. Holes will later be drilled in them for attaching the pipe bender with screws to the workbench.

The main part is ready. You can start pre-assembly:

I welded a piece of 20 by 20 pipe to the screw on top. I left it long. I decided that during the testing process, if it gets in the way, I will cut it off and use a removable lever made of a 15 by 15 pipe, which is inserted inside... But, looking ahead, I will say that this was not required. The lever really interferes with turning the drive handle if it is turned a quarter turn (it sticks out across the pipe bender). But it turned out that tightening the screw at half-turn intervals is quite normal.

Next, I started making the drive handle...I decided to make the handle itself from a 15 by 15 profile pipe and a stud. I drilled a hole at the end, inserted a piece of M14 stud into it, welded it and cleaned it:

Now you need to make a bend on the lever itself - the pipe bender will be installed on the edge of a table or workbench.

Next, connect it to the shaft. I decided in advance to make it not only removable, but also so that it would turn over and in the transport position would not dangle or cling. I made this profile on the shaft:

Then I drilled a blind hole and cut an M8 thread in it. The handle will be placed on the shaft and secured through a washer with a wing bolt.

Now we need to make a hub on the handle. I used corner scraps:

Then, like a sculptor, I cut off everything unnecessary :)))))

The lever is ready. On the handle itself (which I have made from an M14 pin), I simply put a piece of polyethylene water pipe and tightened the cap nut.

In general, I would like to dwell separately on my use of cap nuts. I often use them if I need an axis of rotation. Having chosen the correct length of the axle, you can screw on the cap nut and tighten it with maximum force - it will rest against the axle with the cap and will not unscrew easily. Of course, it is not worth fixing the axle on which, for example, a wheel is located, in this way, without a cotter pin, but for “unimportant” axles, such as “curtains” on which something opens and closes, this is quite suitable.

Let's return to the pipe bender... As I already said, such a moment as a very simple reinstallation of the shafts was important to me. (Because, knowing, for example, myself, I am sure that I will not use the option until the last minute if it is difficult to use... For example, if the shafts were close, and a pipe came across with a large cross-section, I would try carefully roll it in this position of the shafts, if to change it you would have to unscrew a lot of nuts... And most likely, it would crush...). That is why I made the bearing mounting points from a profile pipe. The shaft is simply inserted into the desired pair of racks.

But this design contradicted my other requirement - mobility! After all, when moving the machine, the shafts would have to be removed and moved separately... At the same time, the bearings would have to be removed from them (I machined them for a loose fit and they can fall off). This didn't suit me. Therefore, I decided to make a part that would press the bearings from above and fix them. I took two sections of profile pipe, section 50 by 20 mm, wall 2 mm.

After which I cut them lengthwise along the wide part, dividing the wall into 10 and 40 mm. At the same time, on the other hand, I marked this size in a mirror way. I ended up with four blanks like this:

Considering that the width of the 206th bearing is 15 mm, it fits quite tightly inside this workpiece.
I measured the required length, I cut the rest like this:

After which, the upper part was bent down 90 degrees, making a corresponding angle:

I cut out this “tooth” on them:

Now I installed both shafts on one side of the pipe bender, put the resulting parts on them, vertical posts, having drilled through, I attached them with long M4 screws with cap nuts (they turned out to be axles). In front, I bent the strips of side walls sticking out towards each other towards each other. Now, if we rivet them together, we will get a U-shaped cover, which, when lowered down, will cover the shaft bearings and fix them tightly:

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