Alan Pickering and Julian Kidger – Unison Ltd’s joint managing directorsScarborough-based
Unison Ltd, the inventor of all-electric tube manipulation, will celebrate its 50th anniversary on 3 April. To mark reaching a half century, the business is planning a special birthday party at its headquarters on 24 May, when several of its latest tube bending technologies will be on display, alongside fibre laser metal cutting machines from its sister company,
Nukon Lasers UK.
Unison was established in 1973 as a control systems specialist and provided its expertise to a number of tube bending machinery firms, including Addison Machine Tools. Convinced there was a better way of bending tube than by noisy, messy hydraulic operation, where accuracy and repeatability were often affected by fluctuating oil temperature, Unison set about creating the world’s first all-electric tube-bending machine. Prototypes were built, a patent was taken out and, in 1994, the company unveiled the world’s first all-electric three-axis tube bender.
Operated by electronic linear actuators and, therefore, unaffected by changing hydraulic oil temperature, this pioneering machine redefined the world of tube manipulation. By 1998, Unison Ltd had launched the first all-electric robot benders. Twin-head, multi-stack and five-axis machines followed, along with the world’s largest all-electric tube bender for the shipbuilding industry.
Reflecting on those early days when the world’s first all-electric tube bending machine was in development, Alan Pickering, Unison’s joint managing director, said: “I remember my Dad giving me the challenge of bringing his crazy idea to life! We were pushing the servo technology of the day to the limits. But we succeeded, and right-first-time tube bending was born.
He added: “It took a number of forward-thinking customers to put their faith in our technology. However, the big breakthrough came when Airbus ordered its first all-electric tube bender from us. The machine paid for itself in 16 weeks, in reduced scrap alone. Competition from the bigger players was inevitable, but we kept our heads down and kept on pushing forward.”
UK’s leading manufacturerToday, Unison is the UK’s leading manufacturer of tube bending machines, has facilities in the UK and the USA, and offers the world’s largest range of ultra-precise, all-electric tube and pipe bending technologies for diameters ranging from 4 to 275mm. Available in single-stack, multi-stack and right/left versions, Unison ‘Breeze’ machines are operating in more than 20 countries worldwide, and in a wide range of industry sectors, including motorsport, marine, oil and gas, aerospace and architecture. The Unison family of companies includes automation specialists,
Ingenium Integration Ltd and
Nukon Lasers UK.
Mr Pickering continued: “From the outset, our goal was clear — to make achieving accurate, repeatable tube-bending simple and straightforward, all supported by outstanding levels of customer care. That is why every Unison Breeze machine offers fast, intuitive set-up, rapid tooling changes, exceptional power, rigid mechanical design, and all-electric control for right-first-time results, or immediately after bending a trial part — and why we are renowned for the quality of our after-sales support.”
That same ethos is also why all Unison Breeze machines are equipped with the company’s own dedicated Unibend CNC control, and why Unison continually invests in developing leading-edge support software — such as its Opt2Sim tube bending simulation suite and its recently updated, free-to-use tube bending application app. Available for desktop, tablet or mobile, the app is so sophisticated it will even show users the tooling type, mandrel style, size and material, as well as bend torque and machine size required for a particular bend or a series of bends.
He concluded: “All in all, it has been an incredible journey. One made possible by having fantastic people in our team, and amazing customers around the world who, every day, put their trust in our uncompromising technologies. Moreover, having invented all-electric tube bending, we intend to stay at the top of our game. This is why, each year, we recruit and nurture a number of technical apprentices, and why we offer extensive development opportunities for our employees — all to ensure they are the best they can be. Here’s to the next 50 years!”