What is a wire bender?
A wire bender is an industrial machine that allows an operator to bend wire into 2D and 3D shapes with efficiency. This is a specialized machine that is widely used in the wire and construction industry where different kinds of wires in all sizes and diameters are available. When the wire bender is used, it increases accuracy, produces a higher quality of product and improves production rates. No hand tools are required in wire bending which reduces the possibility for any human errors. After wire bending, other processes usually follow that include welding, surface treatment and assembly. The applications of wire assemblies are vast and their flexibility of operations is extensive across different industries. Wire assemblies are made from tough materials that offer high strength and durability that is why the defense industry makes use of wire products as parts of its weapons systems.
The advantages of CNC wire bender
In order to automate a wire bender, it is integrated with computer numerical control (CNC) technology for increased accuracy and to reduce human error. Some of the features of CNC wire benders are the capability to produce limitless configurations with minimum setup times for an efficient operation. Since setup is already programmed on the computer and not on the wire bender, setup for future runs is more efficient due to the reduction in time. During the production run, the CNC wire bender generates no part variations hence no wasted wire ends up in the trash. Today, most of the CNC wire benders are shipped with computers operating on Windows with Visual Basic software to coordinate various motions. This simplifies the integration of the wire bender in the system of production. Wire forms that have been bent through CNC wire benders are assembled into a wide range of products for applications in industries that include displays, furniture, automotive, aerospace, agriculture, pharmaceutical, lawn and gardens including defense.
Factors to consider when selecting a wire bender
Before an intelligent decision can be made on the purchase of a wire bender, it is important to understand the basics of wire bending. The proposed machinery must have the physical and technical characteristics required to bend a part including factors that will directly influence the type and tooling configuration of the wire bending machine. Although bending a wire manually is more economical, it is not conducive for high production rates, quality and repeatability. CNC wire benders have been developed to enable very accurate part positioning and to duplicate the method and positioning for the repeat bending process.