Ilkley-based subcontractor Olicana Products provides components to customers involved in the manufacture of commercial seating, as well as the medical, education and bathroom sectors. Central to the company’s offer is its use of tube bending machines from BLM since 2001.

The first BLM tube bending machine on site, an E-TURN 52, could process tube up to 52 mm outside diameter. It was the first electric tube manipulator in the Ilkley factory, the pre-existing three being hydraulically actuated, and was able to execute a wide range of functions such as variable radius bending.

Notable also is that all-electric tube benders have better accuracy than their hydraulic counterparts and are also more environmentally friendly. It is due to the absence of hydraulic fluid, which rises in temperature during operation, leading to thermal expansion. They also tend to leak.

Most significantly, however, the 15-axis E-TURN employs a double head with a novel swinging action, enabling both right- and left-hand bends to be accomplished in the same automatic cycle. It deskills the creation of highly complex tubular geometries and avoids the need for a second operation on the same length of tube, although for some applications that is not possible anyway.

Such was the success of the E-TURN 52 installation that a further two machines, both new but of smaller, 32 mm diameter capacity, were purchased in 2021 and 2023 directly from BLM.

The machine supplier’s offline VGP3D software simplifies operation of all three electric tube bending machines. On receipt of a customer order and component drawing, Olicana simulates the bending sequence on-screen to detect any potential collisions or other problems.

More information www.blmgroup.com