Why travel and tube processing are so exciting

SCHMALLENBERG, Germany - Nov. 29, 2013 - PRLog -- Travelling broadens your horizons – and lets you get to know a country and its people. It can also be a challenge if you happen to be globetrotting in the name of tube processing. For instance, you might find yourself wrestling with a huge selection of food on the hotel buffet, wild animals might be hissing past outside and the mobile base might suddenly grow claws – and break down. “It’s all happened”, smiles Gerd Nöker, transfluid’s Managing Director. These little incidental surprises are par for the course.

Visitors to the FABTECH exhibition in Chicago, Illinois, USA, November 18-21, 2013 will be able to see and experience our tube solutions on the transfluid stand S5684.


The real moment of truth comes when the questions start flowing during open discussions around the conference table. The questions are usually the same, but they are not always straightforward to answer. As Gerd Nöker explains: “the demands and requirements are almost always unique to the particular client. It’s our job to provide explanations of the technical details, outline new possibilities and hold completely open discussions so that we can arrive at the right solution together.”
The following top 7 most frequently asked questions posed to “transfluid on tour” give a flavor of what it’s all about. The first four get to straight to grips with technical issues:

What is the minimum bend radius / the minimum ovality / the minimum wall thinning during the bending process? Gerd Nöker answers: “Depending on the material and tube diameter we can achieve radii of 0.7 x tube diameter. Ovalities of maximum 5% can even be achieved at such small radii. To minimize wall thinning we use a centerline booster. This applies a controlled force to the tube to ensure positive wall thinning control throughout the bending process. This can realize an extreme reduction in wall thinning.

It is also frequently necessary to explain the benefits and disadvantages relating to the use of electric drives on tube forming and bending machines. “As a general rule, bending machines with electrically driven shafts becomes more advantageous as the tube diameter decreases – especially at diameters below 120mm. Increased speed is a critical effect here and precision is of course also improved, because these drives facilitate perfectly reproducible results”, summarizes Nöker.

Software interfaces and which systems are suitable for connection is a key issue. Our solution here is the high-performance “t control” software.  For example, to allow a CNC-controlled bending machine to be connected to the corresponding CAD systems via an online interface, the processing unit is equipped with a PC (Windows operating system) running our proprietary bending software. This allows the simple preparation of manufacturing lists and facilitates rapid data transfer.

Future markets…
“We are working to ensure advancement, to secure results for our clients that will put them ahead of the competition. Future issues therefore clearly provide a rich source of topics for discussion. And because we also keep a close eye on our client’s markets for our own purposes – to detect any trends – we often provide advice on where the markets are heading”, explains Gerd Nöker.  Currently the experienced manager believes that the technical challenges his company will face in future are likely to come from Germany and Europe. “Asia and South America will be where the future mass markets are to be expected”, he concludes.

…and new developments
New developments such as the CNC-controlled rolling forming process fall into this category. This innovative technology is the reason why transfluid was added to the “Directory of Global Market Leaders” by the South Westphalian Chambers of Industry and Commerce in 2013.
This patented process allows even high-strength and super high-strength materials to be efficiently processed largely independent of tooling. This is an ever more frequent and decisive requirement for ensuring consistent lightweight construction in the automotive sector for instance.

A reliable quality control procedure is of course always required. “Here for instance, we offer customer-oriented software solutions that allow our systems to communicate directly with our client’s software. This even allows reliable, 100% inspections to be carried out on a diverse range of components using proprietary system solutions and in cooperation with our technology partners”, explains Gerd Nöker.

When asked to provide references transfluid is normally quickly able to name a partner. “Of course we sometimes also open our doors to visitors. But sample tubes often suffice to provide a good indication of what we can deliver.” Ultimately however, nothing beats experience. These informative top 7 FAQs provide further proof of this.