30 million bends — and counting

A tube-bending cell based on a Unison all-electric machine recently fabricated its five millionth part at Olicana Products Ltd. As each part has six bends, the Unison machine has made over 30 million bends since its installation in 2004 (the cell makes one tubular frame complete with fixing holes every 11sec).

The tube-bending machine and cell have needed only routine maintenance since installation. Ilkley-based Olicana specialises in tubular parts for mid- to high-volume applications and works for clients mainly in the furniture and bathroom sectors, as well as the high-volume automotive sector through its new manufacturing arm — Autotubetech LLP.

Managing director Rupert Pearson said: “We try to develop long-term supply relationships with clients, and we are happy to invest in automation to ensure that we deliver a superior service. In this case, the cell allows us to make large quantities economically, but also to respond flexibly and quickly to changes in demand and to re-program easily, in order to get new parts into production rapidly.”