Automotive
HMT provides both Tier 1 automotive OEM’s and after market manufacturers of automotive accessories with CNC tube bender solutions. HMT’s CNC tube benders are used for bending exhaust systems using thin wall stainless steel, sway bars made from 4140 high strength steel and fluid management systems made from aluminum. They are also used for bending frames and seat parts from high strength materials.
Aftermarket CNC tube benders include chassis and roll cages, exhausts, grill guards, step bars, door panels, and suspension parts.
Automotive Tube Bending Applications
The automotive market for tube bending, whether Tier 1 OEM’s or after-market parts, is one of the the largest market segments for tube benders in the world. The applications range from thin-wall, tight radius exhaust bending, to heavy duty suspensions & sway bars, brake line & fluid management systems, seating, and also frame & structural applications. The ability for CNC tube bender controls to interface with factory automation products such as robots and automatic cells has become increasingly important as has the ability to provide information to manufacturing enterprise systems.
Exhaust Systems
Many of the top exhaust manufacturers use HMT ALL Electric CNC tube benders to produce complex header and “cat back” shapes. HMT’s carriage boost system can provide the means to utilize short clamp lengths and reduce wall thinning on the outside of tubes. The machines multi-stack and true multi-radius capability allows for the forming of a tight radius bend coming off the manifold, then shift to a milder radius bend for the rest of the header tube.
Suspension
CNC tube benders are used for forming suspension parts such as control arms and sway bars. Sway bars in particular can be complicated symmetrical parts, so a low interference design becomes very important.
Fluid Management Systems
All automobiles and trucks have complex tube designs for fluid management systems within the vehicle. These include brake lines and air conditioning supply and return lines.