For the Austrian company ELB-Form, installing a new machine from Schwarze-Robitec (www
.schwarze-robitec.com) has resulted in a huge increase in productivity and efficiency.

The fully electric multi-radius tube-bending machine — a CNC 80 E TB MR with NxG control system — is cutting cycle times by 20-40%, depending on the component and the complexity of the tube geometry.

For each bending sequence, the system automatically checks the interaction between all axes and ensures that the movement sequences are optimally co-ordinated.

The factory acceptance test carried out for the machine demonstrated just how great the benefits would be for ELB-Form, with the time required for a single bending process for an exhaust system component cut from 35 to 16sec — a major advantage for suppliers to the automotive industry, where minimising cycle times is key.

The new machine is also helping ELB-Form to minimise tool-changing times with the Quick Tool Unlock system, which enables fast and easy assembly and disassembly without any additional equipment (www.formgroup.eu).

The firm has been using Schwarze-Robitec’s tube-bending machines for more than 20 years and now has a number of its CNC machines.

Impressed by the increase in productivity brought by the CNC 80 E TB MR, ELB-Form is now planning to retrofit the NxG control on another of its machines.