Pipe bending is indeed a crucial phase in several manufacturing processes. It is not just used for creating round bends in larger tubular structures but also give a detailed finesse to smaller pipes. Besides, the technique is used in an array of manufacturing and fabrication areas, from HVAC pipes to automobile exhausts and fuel injection pipes. Owing to this skyrocketing demand, manufacturers have adopted advanced and innovative practices to increase production and deliver optimal quality.
Out of the prevalent practices, the use of CNC pipe benders has become prominent across most industries. They not only help manufacturers overcome the bottlenecks by conventional bending machine but also live up to the commitment of sustainable manufacturing. If you are yet to acknowledge the prominent role of CNC pipe bending in facilitating sustainability, this below article will help you gain valuable insights further.
What is a CNC-powered pipe bender?
CNC or Computer Numerical Control is an innovative technology that automates the operations of any machine, thereby eliminating the dependency on human intervention. If you check the conventional pipe benders, manual labor is needed to create the bends in the pipes and tubes. It not only created rooms for errors but also impacted precision and accuracy significantly. However, with CNC pipe bending, these problems can be resolved with ease since the entire task is handled through automated routines.
The design requirements and other parameters are given as inputs to the Computer Aided Design (CAD) software. It further interprets the design and converts the same into machine-level instructions. These instructions further guide the pipe bending machine to automatically perform the bending activities while ensuring the physical parameters are achieved with accuracy and precision.
How CNC pipe benders facilitate manufacturing operations?
Before moving onto the topic of sustainable manufacturing through CNC benders, we should have a quick look at the benefits it offers at a usual level over the conventional bending techniques.
- CNC pipe bending technique allows manufacturers to increase the productivity rate since the machine can handle multiple bending operations in a single cycle, owing to the lightning operational speed.
- Accuracy and precision obtained in each bend are at the optimal levels since the instructions fed to the machine are derived from computerized interpretation.
- One of the major benefits of CNC pipe bending is the reduction in cost overheads since manufacturing companies won’t have to employ too many human resources for the operations.
- Material damage is reduced by several notches, which further decrease the costs of using too many raw materials for producing the desired quantity of bent pipes.
- Also, CNC pipe bending allows professionals to create intricate and detailed bends while ensuring they can achieve finesse in every operation.
Why is sustainable CNC manufacturing no longer a buzzword?
In recent times, the term “sustainable CNC manufacturing” has attained a status that goes beyond being a buzzword. Below are some of the facts that have propelled the manufacturing industry towards adopting CNC-based sustainable practices.
- In conventional CNC pipe bending operations, the amount of waste generated in every cycle was too huge as compared to the limit. It happened since the machine used to remove a significant portion of the raw material to achieve the desired bend structures. Therefore, the overall waste generation through traditional benders has been reported to be exceptionally high.
- Also, the raw material consumption in making the desired bent pipes through traditional CNC machine units was quite high. Due to this, there was a significant depletion in the supply chain and manufacturers failed to meet up with the high demand cycle. It further threatened the stability of the manufacturing industry and incurred huge pressure on the vendors.
- Traditional CNC machines consumed a great deal of energy for their operations. Additionally, the dependency on conventional energy forms like electricity put a huge pressure on the already depleting fossil fuels. These further made the equipment units energy-inefficient.
- The carbon footprint of the traditional pipe benders equipped with CNC machining ability has always been significantly higher. In other words, they released a greater amount of greenhouse gases, mainly CO2 into the atmosphere during each bending cycle. It proved to be fatal to the environment and climatic conditions.
How sustainability is achieved through CNC pipe bending?
Due to the increasing concerns regarding the impact of conventional CNC benders over the environment, manufacturers are forced to think beyond and adopt sustainable practices. Since several standards and regulations have been put in place to keep control of the environmental impact of manufacturing processes, implementing sustainable practices has become a priority. That being said, we have mentioned a few ways in which modern-day CNC machines can help achieve sustainability.
Use of sustainable materials
In conventional CNC machine units, most materials used in the manufacturing were non-biodegradable and had a huge negative impact on the environment. That’s why special attention is being given to successfully achieve the transition from materials like PVC and ABS to alternate sources that are eco-friendlier and have lesser impact on the environment. Most CNC machine manufacturers use biodegradable and environment-friendly materials to design their products. This further allows them to reduce the carbon footprint and introduce sustainability in the manufacturing process.
Dependency on renewable energy sources
If you check the traditional CNC pipe bending machine, you will find the energy being sourced mostly from non-renewable fossil fuels. In other words, these equipment units can operate only on electricity generated by burning depleting natural resources like coal and crude petroleum. With the increased demand of energy, the carbon footprint has skyrocketed in just a few years. That’s why manufacturers have transitioned to alternative renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and water to ensure the CNC machine units can become more sustainable in the long run.
Eco-friendlier coolants and lubricants
Another way through which sustainability is achieved in CNC machining operations is by the use of eco-friendlier coolants and lubricants. Manufacturers are now planning to use lubricants and coolants that will not only have lesser impact on the environment but also won’t comprise the manufacturing quality and productivity. Also, several manufacturers have invested in closed-loop machining systems where the coolants can be recycled instead of being disposed.
Reduction in waste generation
Significant changes have been introduced in the ways CNC pipe benders handle the raw materials to create the bend structures. The major focus is on reducing the material waste by preserving major portions of the pipes and limiting the removal process. In other words, these machine units are now capable of creating bends without causing material distortion or impacting the structural integrity. As a result, the volume of waste products generated through CNC bending has decreased by a considerable limit.
Implementing smart manufacturing solutions
Several modern-day CNC units are integrated with AI-based algorithms. These allow manufacturers to handle larger projects with ease and reduce human errors through intelligent automation routines. Since no human intervention is needed, the bends created in the raw materials are far more precise and accurate. This has further led to reduction in damaged or distorted pipes post the bending cycle.
Conclusion
With the sustainable practices for CNC pipe bending being described here, you can now understand the transitions in manufacturing processes that need to be adopted. These will not only help you meet the stringent environmental regulations and policies but also increase the productivity and performance metrics.