A software upgrade by Unison Ltd, the UK’s leading manufacturer of all-electric CNC tube and pipe bending machines, is set to bring performance enhancements in the region of 25% to tube manipulation cycle times on the company’s Breeze range of models.
Although the upgrade will be of greatest benefit to Unison customers who are involved in high-volume tube manipulation activities, Unison believes that all customers who choose to upgrade will benefit. The software upgrade will be available as an additional cost option to all users of Unison Breeze machines that are equipped with the company’s latest Unibend control system. It will also be included as standard on all new Unison Breeze machines going forward.
“At Unison, we are renowned for providing our customers with the highest levels of performance, reliability, bend quality and repeatability,” comments Unison’s managing director, Alan Pickering. “Additionally, our Unibend software is recognised as the most user-friendly control system for tube bending applications. With a commitment to constant improvement, and as part of our most recent review into machine performance, we took the decision to investigate how we could make the bending cycles on our Breeze range of tube manipulation machines even faster – all without compromising any of the attributes that Unison Breeze machines are renowned for.
“By painstakingly scrutinising virtually every aspect of the Unibend control system, we have been able to incorporate significant speed improvements, reduce the pause time between process movements and incorporate a number of other time-saving features. Although real-world speed enhancements will obviously depend on materials being bent, the number of and complexity of bends and individual manufacturing strategies, on average we expect Unison customers to achieve time savings in the region of 25% when bending at full power.”
In trials using the latest version of Unison’s Unibend software, Unison Breeze machines ranging from 16 mm to 80 mm tube diameter capability achieved speed enhancements of 21.04% when operating at 50% speed and 25.70% at 100% speed.
“For customers bending significant quantities of tube, particularly customers in the automotive sector, these time savings will be of considerable benefit,” adds Alan Pickering. “Just consider the advantages of 25% faster bend cycles, say, over a 12-month period – not simply in terms of faster production times, but in reduced energy usage and fewer operator hours.”
Unison Ltd: intelligent tube technology
Established in 1973, Unison Ltd is the UK’s leading manufacturer of tube and pipe bending machines, offering the largest range of all-electric benders for diameters from 4 mm (5/32”) to 275 mm (10 53/64”). With a reputation for building highly powerful, highly robust machines that deliver uncompromising levels of accuracy and repeatability, Unison Ltd continually innovates the tube and pipe bending marketplace. The company manufactured the world’s first all-electric tube bender in 1994, followed by the world’s first all-electric multi-stack tube bender, then the world’s largest all-electric tube bender for the shipbuilding industry. Available in single-stack, multi-stack and right/left varieties, Unison machines are delivered to over 21 countries globally. Unison’s tube bending software is recognised as the most user-friendly control system for tube bending machines. The software is written and supported by Unison, ensuring complete control of its evolution, with no need for third party support.
