Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: 3-axis wire-bending? - Part 2

cornbeltroute wrote:
(snip)

> Chris L. - I'll search for tool show locations and show dates; this
> hadn't occurred to me. Do you recall the sponsor of the show you
> attended?

It was either IMTS (international machine tool show) in Chicago (every other
year), Or the Design Engineering show in Chicago which comes up real soon
(march 18th-21st). Can't give you a name... They were bending wire about 5/16
thick but the concept is the same.

As I recall, this machine used material off of rolls, pulled them thru a
straighener but did not rotate the wire. It had a very simple rotating collar
that had two bending dies and one Arm with a die. The wire came right thru
the center of this collar between the dies. As the whole collar rotated, the
single action arm would just bend the wire tight to the semi fixed die. The
dies would have dictated the actual bend radius. The wire would advance out
thru the dies for the next bend. To bend the wire in a different direction,
the rotating collar spun to the correct point and again the single action arm
bent the wire again, which now made a bend in a different direction.

You did NOT want to stand near the end of that machine. They were making some
3 or so foot tall "flowers", petals, leaves and stalk as a demonstration. No
doubt operated by a very interesting CNC Control. If the sales team weren't
so pesky, One may have hung a round to see how it went from Cad to Cam.

Chris L