An apparatus and method for calibrating an automated wire bending machine is provided that includes a camera system comprising a camera and a lens configured with a focal plane fixedly positioned relative to a bending surface provided on the automated wire bending machine. The disclosed apparatus and method further includes a processor device configured to interpret images captured by the camera system. The apparatus and method measures an actual angle formed in a wire while a bent portion of the wire is substantially within the focal plane of the camera system, and a memory device stores values generated during a calibration sequence of the automated wire bending machine. The values correspond to the actual angle and a target angle provided for the calibrating of the automated wire bending machine.

An apparatus and method for calibrating an automated wire bending machine is provided that includes a camera system comprising a camera and a lens configured with a focal plane fixedly positioned relative to a bending surface provided on the automated wire bending machine. The disclosed apparatus and method further includes a processor device configured to interpret images captured by the camera system. The apparatus and method measures an actual angle formed in a wire while a bent portion of the wire is substantially within the focal plane of the camera system, and a memory device stores values generated during a calibration sequence of the automated wire bending machine. The values correspond to the actual angle and a target angle provided for the calibrating of the automated wire bending machine.

A metal extrusion and nodes based structure is provided. The structure comprises one or more arc members connected by one or more node members, wherein the arc comprises (i) a wing feature which is configured to mate with one or more non-structural components, (ii) an internal passage feature which is configured to be inserted into a connecting feature of the corresponding node member, and (iii) one or more keying features formed from a mating interface with the corresponding node member.

A bent product having a three-dimensionally bent portion intermittently or continuously in the lengthwise direction is manufactured by supporting a steel pipe at a first position A while feeding it in the lengthwise direction, locally heating the steel pipe being fed at a second position B, cooling the heated portion of the steel pipe at a third position C, and varying the position of a gripping means, which grips the steel pipe in a region D downstream of the third position C, in a three-dimensional direction including the feed direction of the steel pipe in a workspace including a space on the upstream side of the third position C in the feed direction of the steel pipe to impart a bending moment to the heated portion of the steel pipe.

A bent product having a three-dimensionally bent portion intermittently or continuously in the lengthwise direction is manufactured by supporting a steel pipe at a first position A while feeding it in the lengthwise direction, locally heating the steel pipe being fed at a second position B, cooling the heated portion of the steel pipe at a third position C, and varying the position of a gripping means, which grips the steel pipe in a region D downstream of the third position C, in a three-dimensional direction including the feed direction of the steel pipe in a workspace including a space on the upstream side of the third position C in the feed direction of the steel pipe to impart a bending moment to the heated portion of the steel pipe.

A method for manufacturing a bent member, the method includes feeding an elongated steel material in a longitudinal direction with one end portion of the steel material as a head, performing high-frequency induction heating to one portion of the steel material in the longitudinal direction by being supplied high-frequency power to form a high-temperature portion, bending the steel material by applying a bending moment in an arbitrary direction to the high-temperature portion to form a bent portion, and injecting a cooling medium to the bent portion to cool the bent portion. The bending includes forming the bent portion having a ratio R/W which is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, where the ratio R/W is a ratio obtained by dividing a bending radius R [mm] of the bent portion on a centroid line of the steel material by a dimension W [mm] in a bend direction in a cross-section of the steel material orthogonal to the centroid line, slowing down a feeding speed of the steel material less than V1, where the V1 is the feeding speed of the steel material while forming the bent portion having the ratio R/W which is more than the predetermined value, and reducing the high-frequency power supplied while forming the high-temperature portion less than Q1, where the Q1 is the high-frequency power supplied while forming the bent portion having the ratio R/W which is more than the predetermined value.

A method for determining elastomer types as pipe filler for pressure bending of a pipe, comprising: selecting a set of elastomer types; obtaining sample pieces from the elastomer types; applying strain test on the sample pieces; determining properties of the sample pieces; calculating strain energy and error function for each sample piece based on an energy model; calculating elastic modulus for each sample piece; selecting elastomer types from the set of elastomer types; analyzing results from the calculation of strain energy, error function and the elastic modulus for the selected elastomer types; simulating the pressure bending process of the pipe, using pipe filler made from the selected elastomer types; and when simulation results indicate an acceptable pressure bent pipe due to the simulated pressure bending, selecting the one or more elastomer types associated with the acceptable pressure bent pipe for the pipe filler.

A portable tubing bender configured to automatically bend a portion of tubing according to a defined set of bend specifications, including a desired number of bends and a desired angle for each bend. The portable tubing bender including a driver configured to rotate a driven shaft and a first rotational output, a reductive gear set operably coupling the driven shaft to an output shaft, a bender shoe couplable to the output shaft, the bender shoe defining an arcuate channel configured to receive tubing during bending operations, and an automatic feed mechanism configured to advance the tubing relative to the bender shoe from an initial position to a bend position.

A metal extrusion and nodes based structure is provided. The structure comprises one or more arc members connected by one or more node members, wherein the arc comprises (i) a wing feature which is configured to mate with one or more non-structural components, (ii) an internal passage feature which is configured to be inserted into a connecting feature of the corresponding node member, and (iii) one or more keying features formed from a mating interface with the corresponding node member.

A metal extrusion and nodes based structure is provided. The structure comprises one or more arc members connected by one or more node members, wherein the arc comprises (i) a wing feature which is configured to mate with one or more non-structural components, (ii) an internal passage feature which is configured to be inserted into a connecting feature of the corresponding node member, and (iii) one or more keying features formed from a mating interface with the corresponding node member.