Bend-Tech EZ is our entry level product. Bend-Tech EZ is an entry level tube bending software for the home hobbyist. If your parts are simple 2D parts (parts that lay flat when completed) then EZ will most likely do the trick.
EZ provides dozens of predefined templates and has a custom part interface which allows for up to 6 bends. Additional templates are available from download.
There are dozens of pre-defined templates to choose from. Most templates allow for center, outside and inside dimensions. While scrolling down the list of templates, they graphically show up in the window on the right.
The templates are read in from a secondary file. This allows us to periodically create new templates and have them available for download.
Tool Library
Before we go any further allow us to cover some of the issues of the material
and tooling library. The material library allows for diameter, wall
thickness, weight and color. The software does display the tube as round
stock, however, calculations for square, rectangular and all other shapes are
available and 100% accurate. Bend-Tech has a few customers using it for sheet metal
plate to help calculate the layout.
The Tooling library
consists of CLR (radius), Calibrated CLR and Bend Location Offset.
The calibration is done
with a simple to follow calibration interface. The calibration allows
users to hold the tightest of tolerances. Customers using manual equipment
will most often be able to get to a 1/32 of their target in the first try.
The Bend Location Offset
defines the distance on some benders between the start of the bend and the
reference location for lining up the bend marks.
Results
are what we describe as the information available to you for manufacturing the
tube. The "Cut Length" is the length to cut the tube to.
The chart shows A, B, Location, Rotation and Angle. A is the design order,
B is the bending order, Location is where to mark the tube for bending, Rotation
is the amount to rotate the tube between bends and the Angle is the number of
degrees to bend the tube.
"Cut
Off" allows to add extra material to the end of the tube for post bending
cutting. This is used largely for cutting to place one tube against
another. In this example we added 2 to our value so the cut length grew by
4 and each bend was moved 2.
We can
change the "Decimal / Fraction" fields to allow for tolerances of 1/4
to 1/32 and decimal places from 0 to 0.000. In this example we changed the
fractions to 1/32.
We have 3
settings which can be used for the dimension location; Start, End &
Center. Typically a rotary draw bender will use start, a rotary
compression bender will use end and a center compression will use center.
In some cases, NC or CNC benders which are rotary compression will also use end
because they locate off of the back side.
You
will also find an example of a center compression bender.
Some customers have been
known to use the center choice for sheet metal fabrication.
"Rotation"
in our results window uses positive and negative numbers to represent clockwise
or counter clockwise. Depending on which end of the machine you are
standing on this can be very confusing, so we have given you the ability to
reverse the sign to signify rotation direction.
Just
when you thought all of the bases were covered, we are asked to flip the part in
mid production. Below is an example of flipping the part end for end after
the 3rd bend. Notice the bend order (labeled as "B" in the
chart) has now flopped after the flip.
The values for the 4th and
5th bend have changed as well. This is because we are now providing the
location values on the other end of the bend zone so when the part is flipped
the correct end of the tube is marked. This allows for measuring from one
end for the cut and all of the bend locations.
We
also have the ability to reverse the order of bending. This allows you to
engineer the part from one end and start manufacturing from the other. The
maybe need when your part will have interference with the machine, floor or
other obstacle. At times by switching the bending order we can avoid these
interferences. Refer to the simulation section to see this in action.
Custom Part Interface:
We
create a part by starting at one end and entering in the lengths and angles for
each bend. The dim type can be Apex or Tangent. Apex is the
intersection of the 2 tube sides as if they have a zero radius and zero diameter
(basically 2 lines).
This part shows
the 180 degree bend using a tangent dimension and the 90 degree bend uses an
apex dimensions. Note: a positive angle strokes counter clockwise and a negative
angle dimension strokes clockwise.
All 3 of the parts are exactly the
same. The first one shows using 2 apex dimensions, the second shows using
2 tangent dimensions and the last has 1 apex and 1 tangent dimension. In
our case the CLR is 3.5
Now
PRO's custom part has rotational input!!!. If you know your lengths,
angles and rotations, this is the interface to use.
Pre-Defined Tempates:
There are dozens of pre-defined
templates to choose from. Most templates allow for center, outside and
inside dimensions. While scrolling down the list of templates, they
graphically show up in the window on the right.
The templates are read in from a secondary file. This allows us to
periodically create new templates and have them available for download.
The
below picture shows the values have been entered.
Notice how the input values
can be fractions using the templates. For this part our cut length is 101
9/16 and our bend locations are 20 7/8, 36 15/16, 60 and 76. The results
window can be in fractions with definable tolerances from 1/4 to 1/32 or use
decimals up to 3 places.
