Scarborough-based
Unison Ltd, the inventor of all-electric tube manipulation, and its North American division, Unison Tube LLC, recently enjoyed a highly successful expedition to
FABTECH 2025 in Chicago. The company’s decision to exhibit on a significantly larger scale this year — occupying a 2,000ft
2 booth — was rewarded with ‘close to 300 high quality leads’.
Stuart Singleton, vice president and North American sales manager of Danville VA-based Unison Tube LLC, said: “
FABTECH is always a key fixture on our annual exhibition calendar. In part, that is why we chose to exhibit on a much larger scale this year — a decision that proved more than worthwhile.”
Among the machines on display was a 25mm bi-directional left-hand/right-hand all-electric Breeze tube-bending machine, which drew considerable attention for its versatility. Also on show was the EvBend 1000, a manually operated, CNC-controlled tube bending machine, and a hybrid-electric, dual-stack Synergy 50mm tube bender.
Meanwhile, the all-electric Twinhead machine, designed for high-speed production of symmetrical shapes, proved particularly popular with manufacturers seeking to streamline their operations. A small-bore tube bending machine from Unison’s sister company, Pneuform Machines, also attracted interest from businesses involved in precision small-diameter tube work.
Software innovation was another focal point of the booth, with Unison presenting significant advances in its Opt2Sim Suite of tube simulation software. The company also demonstrated Opt2Sim Scan, a portable 3D tube scanning and measurement system that utilises a Creaform handheld scanner.
Stuart Singleton said: “The EvBend 1000 manual machine received a great deal of interest, particularly from aerospace and performance automotive companies looking to produce small volumes of high-precision parts. Our Twinhead machine was of considerable interest to several organisations looking to manufacture symmetrical components, while orders were placed for our hybrid-electric and wire bending machines.”
The Opt2Sim Suite, which comprises a range of subscription-based simulation tools, offers manufacturers a detailed virtual insight into the components they wish to produce before any physical bending takes place. Opt2Sim Scan, meanwhile, is regarded as one of the most advanced hand-held tube measurement systems currently available.
Mr Singleton added: “
FABTECH 2025 was a fantastic event for us. We are busy processing enquiries and looking forward to meeting friends old and new in Las Vegas for
FABTECH 2026.”
Unison continues to lead the way in intelligent tube technology. The company manufactured the world’s first all-electric tube bender in 1994, followed by the first all-electric multi-stack bender and the largest all-electric tube bender ever built for the shipbuilding industry. Today, Unison machines are operating in over 20 countries and are available in single-stack, multi-stack and right/lefthand configurations. The company’s tube-bending software is widely recognised as the most user-friendly control system in the industry, written and supported entirely in-house to ensure complete control over its development.