In July we received a print to bend tubing for a trade-show coffee roaster display. We had two weeks to meet a deadline. We elected to make the bends out of a 3" OD butyrate tubing with a .125 wall. The bend radii were as tight as 8" CLR. Dry ice worked as the...
Specialty Bends
Recently we received a request for some “giant elbows, about a 15 ft. radius to load material up a silo. This was hard for me to comprehend— for these bends would be not only huge but bent three-dimensionally. When the prints and drawings came in this seemed...
Recently we had a request to make circular and helical small diameter bends for a lighting project. We designed special heaters for the project and made our prototypes with clear, transparent CAB (butyrate). The trick is proper annealing. We not only heat our bends to...
When the noted Adirondack Studios asked for a light diffusive tube for a “fire ring” I had no idea that it would lead to a trip to Chicago and some much-needed culture. All that I knew was that this fire ring was to be used in an opera. It was to be made in 16...
Recently one of our customers south of the border had difficulty moving cups through a complex space. We suggested eliminating multiple bends with snake and offset bends. The result was eliminating over 50% of their bends and really neatening up the floor space....
We have manufactured butyrate tubing for marina docs, oceanic core tubes, and other aquatic uses but here is a first. It is a butyrate flotation bend. The bend was sectioned together with butyrate discs and solvent welding before the bending process. We achieved the...
Recently we were given the challenge to produce a tight radius bend to replace a metal fruit chute (peaches). The bend needed a 6" ID and a tight 12" radius. We were able to accomplish this by flaring a 5" ID tube to 6.5" ID and bending the tube 3D to come under the...
In our helix design we needed to modify the entrance and the exit of the banking tube carrier. The helix rises at an angle of about 6 degrees, and so we needed a 6 degree bend to level it out. In over 60 years of bending butyrate, this is certainly the smallest angle...
A conveyance company occasionally orders candy-cane bends. The last order was for a tight 18" Radius on a 4" OD 180 Deg tube. It takes a certain technique to make these kinds of bends and to avoid the stresses that would generally pull the bend inward or outward....
Problem: We had a challenge to produce a 4"CLR bend in our 1-1/2" pipe in clear, transparent, Provista (PETG). Provista is very clear, has NSF approval for food contact, no odor, and very good chemical resistance. But, it has a very short transition temperature in...
We recently filled an order with specialty bends for Provista (PETG) UVO. This clear, transparent conveyance system is UV stabilized and FDA/NSF approved. We also supplied sleeves for the order. In order to maintain NSF standards, the sleeve is thick-walled. This...
Currently, we are preparing for a rectangular helical bend for a cup company. They are conveying squat cups and want a holding area for them. Thus, their engineer wants a 2 tier helix where the cups will travel in a vertical position. This would require the "hard bend...
Earlier we posted on our ability to fabricate rectangular tubing from our stock round Busada 200 Tubing. Recently we had a request to a 4.375 x 3.375" rectangular tube for a prototype test for pneumatic conveyance of squat paper cups. This is an inexpensive...
Do you need an off-the-charts bend of transparent tubing? How about a 14° 200" R (no tangents)? We received an interesting call this week. A school is preparing a model of a space station to be displayed at NASA. Our little part in this was to scale down a 12 ft...