What You Need to Know About the Exhaust Mandrel Bender

Posted on Dec 12, 2020

pipe bending machine

An exhaust mandrel bender is a bending machine that utilizes a mandrel to position and maintain product quality when bending the exhaust pipes.

What is an exhaust mandrel bender?

An exhaust mandrel bender is a bending machine that utilizes a mandrel to position and maintain product quality when bending the exhaust pipes. Being one type of bending machine, the exhaust mandrel bender makes the production of exhaust pipes more productive and cost-saving. Investing an exhaust mandrel bender is definitely a wise choice for any factory that is specialized in automotive components.

Tube bending is one of the important procedures in the forming of products like tubes and pipes. Only when the tubes or pipes are well bent can they ensure the optimal operation of the related applications. For example, a perfectly bent exhaust pipe makes sure the emission of gas from a car is smooth without constraint. Therefore, the process done on a tube bending machine should be taken carefully and seriously.

Producing exhaust pipes for any kind of vehicle can apply not only bending but also welding techniques. Both techniques are capable of meeting the requirements that making exhaust pipes need. However, comparing these two methods, bending has more advantages than welding when it comes to cost and profits. Later, we will talk more about the difference between bending and welding, and the reason why applying bending instead of welding.

If we focus on the exhaust mandrel bender itself, it matters if the components are coordinated with each other. The components on the exhaust mandrel bender make or break the forming of exhaust pipes, since the deformation of products refers to the failure of the production. To prevent the problem mentioned above from affecting the results of production, the mandrel plays a significant role in the manufacturing process. In this article, you will learn more about how these components work on an exhaust mandrel bender.

:: Read more : What Is a Mandrel Tube Bender?


Why is bending applied instead of welding?

As mentioned above, welding and bending are both available for producing exhaust pipes, but the operation principles of them are actually different. Simply put, welding is to combine two parts into one by means of heat and pressure. As for bending, it completes the production by shaping only one workpiece. Before discussing the details about the operation, let’s first see how bending is preferred over welding.


● Process intricacy

It only requires feeding the workpiece with the corresponding length and width into the machine when operating an exhaust mandrel bender. Welding is more complex regarding the preparation in advance and the process itself. The more intricate the process is, the more time the process spends in the production. 


● Safety issue

When conducting the welding process for making exhaust pipes, there will be extremely high heat produced on the working site. In contrast, tube bending eliminates the need for the operator to directly contact the tool and workpiece. If the safety issue is the primary concern, bending is relatively safer than welding.


● Product consistency

Since the process of welding is usually manually controlled, it is hard to ensure the same result on every product. Although bending still requires the operator to feed the workpiece into the bending machine, bending is more like a semi-automatic machining process. Therefore, bending is more likely to remain product consistency than welding.


● Cost and profits

Since the time spent on the process is saved due to the simpler process, and the cost for the labor expenditure and wasted materials is greatly reduced, bending is more profitable than welding. When considering the large volume of production, most factories would prefer bending over welding.


What is the importance of the mandrel?

The mandrel is an accessory that is installed inside the exhaust pipe that is supposed to be bent. On a bending machine, the mandrel is not a necessary element, but it ensures the optimal quality of the exhaust pipe. During the tube bending process, the exterior of the pipe would be extended, and the interior part would be curled. If the position of the workpiece is not appropriate, or the bending speed is too fast, it may result in the deformation of products. 

To deal with this possible challenge, some of the tube bending machines would apply a mandrel that fits the inside diameter of the pipe. As the mandrel provides sufficient support for the exhaust pipe during bending, either the extended or curled parts of the pipe can remain smooth. As a result, using a mandrel on a tube bending machine helps in reducing the failure of production, and thereby important for the machine.


How does an exhaust mandrel bender form?

An exhaust mandrel bender consists of five main parts, including the bending die, clamping die, pressure die, wiper die, and mandrel. Although being separated parts, these components can be recognized as the prototypes of the products as they are attached to each other. 


● Bending die

The bending die is responsible for the interior curled part of the exhaust pipe. It comes in circular form and does rotary motion during the process. When the pipe is clamped and rotates along with the bending die, the curve is formed.


● Clamping die

The clamping die provides support for the pipe by firmly clamping it on the other side of the bending die. In other words, the pipe is gripped between the clamping die and the bending die during the bending process.


● Pressure die

The pressure die offers compressive force for the exhaust pipe that is supposed to be bent. In conjunction with the bending die, the rotary motion and the compressive force together achieve the bending requirements for the production.


● Wiper die

The purpose of the wiper die is similar to the mandrel, which is to ensure smooth surfaces of the exhaust pipe when it is bent. While the difference between the wiper die and the mandrel is that the former is wrapped around the outside of the pipe, and the latter is fitted into the inside instead.


● Mandrel

The mandrel also smoothes the surfaces of the exhaust pipe, but it provides support from the inside instead of the outside. That is, the mandrel reinforces the pipe itself during the bending process, and doubles the effect on product consistency with the wiper die.


How does an exhaust mandrel bender work?

The operation of an exhaust mandrel bender is semi-automatic, which means both the manual force and the automation of the machine are required for the process. Before initiating the bender, make sure all the components are firmly installed on the base of the machine. Also, all the parts should be in the corresponding position in order to perfectly coordinate with each other. As the machine is turned on, the operator feeds the pipe with the required length and width in between the bending die and clamping die. After that, the pipe rotates as the bending die performs the rotary motion, and the process is complete.

:: Read more : How to Use a Hydraulic Pipe Bending Machine Correctly

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