Following the installation of a Schwarze-Robitec CNC 220 HD tube bender (www.schwarze-robitec.com), the Norwegian company Framo — a manufacturer of pump solutions for cargo offloading systems and oil and gas extraction processes — can now undertake the fast and efficient production of custom-fit tube and pipe systems.

Furthermore, all necessary tool changes can be carried out quickly and easily, resulting in reduced setting times and a boost in productivity.

Framo (www.framo.com), based in Bergen, has been manufacturing pump systems for more than 80 years and is the market leader world-wide for cargo pumping systems.

The new CNC 220 HD was bought for processing large-diameter tubes and pipes made of high-strength duplex steel; rated at 30 tonnes, the machine can bend tube up to 219mm in diameter with a maximum wall thickness of 12mm.

Also featured are a flanging capability, which eliminates the need for the subsequent flanging of bent tubes, and a swing-out wiper die that allows the forming of extremely short ‘remaining lengths’.

The wiper die is swung out before the final bend, so that the index head can move the tube very close to the bend former, significantly reducing tube and pipe waste.

Meanwhile, the intuitive CNC system enables ‘safe and proactive’ remote maintenance via simple access to all diagnostic functions.