Visitors to Booth #D42137 will be able to discover the capabilities of one of Unison’s 35 mm (maximum tube diameter) bi-directional left-hand/right-hand all-electric ‘Breeze’ tube bending machines. A Unison EvBend 1000 manually operated, CNC-controlled tube bending machine will also be on display. As will one of the company’s hybrid-electric, dual-stack Synergy 50 mm tube bending machines, along with a rotary head wire and tube bending machine from Unison’s sister company, Pneuform Machines Ltd. Significant advances in tube simulation will also be showcased in the form of Unison’s Opt2Sim Scan tube scanning software, which will be teamed with a Creaform handheld 3D scanner.

“For FABTECH 2025, we’ve really gone to town,” says Stuart Singleton, VP of Danville, VA-based Unison Tube LLC. “Not only will we exhibit a wide range of machines – models to suit everything from the production of highly specialized parts to volume tube bending – we will also be demonstrating what is quite possibly the most advanced handheld tube measurement system around.”

Unison left-hand/right-hand tube bending machines

The Unison Breeze 35 mm bi-directional left-hand/right-hand all-electric tube and pipe bending machine that will be on show at FABTECH is just one of the solutions Unison offers for organizations producing parts of complex geometry that need to be bent in both clockwise and anticlockwise directions. Depending on requirement, customers can choose from ‘pinball’ or ‘rise & fall pressure die’ left/right options. Simplifying the bending process, these advanced, precise, all-electric machines are used in a variety of sectors where the production of challenging tubular shapes, often in difficult-to-bend metals such as Inconel and Super Duplex stainless steels, is required.

Unison Synergy hybrid-electric, dual-stack tube bending machines

Developed to make Unison quality and reliability accessible to even more companies involved in tube manipulation, Unison Synergy hybrid-electric, dual-stack tube bending machines combine precise electric control with advanced, near-silent hydraulic operation. “Since launch, our Synergy models have proved highly popular with manufacturers and subcontractors who carry out repetitive tube bending tasks,” adds Stuart Singleton. “As well as the 50 mm model that will be on show at FABTECH, there’s also a larger 80 mm machine. Both have our user-friendly Unibend control and feature industry leading motors and drives. They offer exceptional power and rigid mechanical design.”

EvBend – CNC-controlled, manually operated 3-axis mandrel bending

Designed for low volume, high-accuracy production and prototyping, Unison EvBend models are used widely across the aerospace, MRO, Formula 1 and oil & gas industries where they provide CNC-controlled, manually operated 3-axis mandrel, multi-plane bending at a fraction of the cost of fully automated machines. While the EvBend 1000 has been designed for bending tube of up to 16 mm in diameter (22 mm in copper), a larger machine, the EvBend 2000, is also available. Built to bend tube of up to 50 mm in diameter, its bending function is servo-assisted.

Pneuform wire bending machines 

Visitors to Booth #D42137 will also be able to learn more about the wire and small-diameter tube and bar bending machines available from Pneuform Machines Ltd. Unison acquired Pneuform in the fall of 2023 and has just introduced a number of enhancements across the entire Pneuform range. Over recent months, Unison’s automation and software development teams have been busy adapting its Unibend control and Opt2Sim simulation software to create ‘Unibend-Wire – an integrated CNC and 3D simulation system especially for Pneuform machines and with a key focus on ease of use, production uplift and low cost of ownership.

Opt2Sim Scan – for rapid, precise and consistent results

Quite possibly the most advanced handheld tube measurement solution on the market, Unison’s Opt2Sim Scan system combines rapid scanning of tube geometry with easy extraction of tube data. Teamed with a Creaform handheld 3D scanner to measure the tube or component they wish to replicate or measure, operators need only enter its bending data into Opt2Sim Scan, then compare measured tube dimensions to master file data and send any corrections directly to the bending machine.

“Offering considerable scan points without compromising speed, the constant reference geometry provided by Opt2Sim Scan ensures supremely accurate results,” comments Stuart Singleton. “Compare to master’ and feedback to the bending machine is quick and seamless. Additionally, as the Creaform 3D scanner is fully autonomous, it can be easily combined with a cobot or robot to make it part of a manufacturing cell for 100% inspection.

“FABTECH is always extremely important to us,” concludes Stuart Singleton, “as it enables us to present our incredible, highly relevant, ultra-precise and ultra-repeatable tube bending technologies to a vast number of leading North American manufacturers and subcontractors. It’s for that reason, at the 2025 event, we’ll be showing more tube bending technologies than ever before.”

About Unison Tube LLC

Based in Danville, Virginia, Unison Tube LLC is the North American division of Unison Ltd – the UK’s leading manufacturer of tube and pipe bending machines, offering the largest range of all-electric benders for diameters from 4 mm (5/32”) to 275 mm (10”). Unison Ltd manufactured the world’s first all-electric tube bender in 1994, followed by the world’s first all-electric multi-stack tube bender, then the world’s largest all-electric tube bender for the shipbuilding industry. Available in single-stack, multi-stack and right/left varieties, Unison machines are delivered to more than 20 countries globally. Written and supported by Unison, the company’s tube bending software is widely recognized as the most user-friendly control system for tube bending machines.

“At Unison, we’re passionate about quality,” says joint managing director, Alan Pickering. “In fact, it was the quality of Pneuform’s machines that first caught our attention and attracted us to the idea of bringing the brand into the Unison family. We did, however, recognise that we could add considerable user benefits to each Pneuform machine by incorporating many of the features that are standard with our Unibend tube bending CNC and Opt2Sim Suite tube simulation software.”

With that objective in mind, over the last few months Unison’s automation and software development teams have been busy adapting the company’s Unibend control and Opt2Sim software to create a proprietary solution especially for the Pneuform range of wire and small tube bending machines. The key focus of their work has surrounded ease of use, production uplift and low cost of ownership.

Called Unibend-Wire, the resultant integrated CNC and 3D simulation system is quite possibly the most advanced, most efficient and most user-friendly control available on any wire and small diameter tube bending machine. Intelligent data input tools and direct-from-CAD import features vastly reduce the time taken from ‘blank sheet’ concept to full production, regardless of material or complexity of bends, with Unison’s Opt2Sim Suite of simulation software tools checking and correcting parts before they reach the shop floor. Part cycle times have also been improved by streamlining any non-added-value moves between bends – the majority of which are now fully automated.

A new integrated console, with 15” touchscreen, enables operators to verify the accuracy of the parts they wish to make in crisp, clear 3D on a digital twin of their Pneuform machine. Powerful bend menus accelerate the creation of repeat, coiled and rectangular part forms, while the industry standard YBC file format mirrors that used on Unison’s all-electric Breeze range of tube bending machines. Batch processing of associated parts or entire shift runs is delivered through a few easy steps, and right-first-time bends are assured by the inclusion of springback compensation, supported by easy characterisation of materials to be bent.

“From simple, single line YBC file formats, supported by powerful, easy-to-use bending instructions, to highly reliable Yaskawa drives and Unison’s advanced remote support application, we have done a great deal to underline Pneuform’s position as a leading manufacturer of quality wire and small diameter tube bending machines,” adds Alan Pickering. “Perhaps most significant of all, however, we have introduced all these product enhancements without increasing our prices. It’s our way of ensuring that Pneuform machines remain highly accessible to manufacturers and subcontractors around the world.”

Key enhancements, at a glance:

• Proprietary Unibend-Wire control system
• 3D simulation using digital twin of actual Pneuform machine
• Direct transfer of simulation files to and from the machine
• Industry standard YBC file format with easy-to-use bend instructions
• Powerful menus for repeat, coil and rectangular part forms
• Springback compensation for right-first-time results
• Emergency Stop Recovery (ESR) for reduced wastage
• Robust, reliable Yaskawa drive platform
• Simple, straightforward batch or entire shift programming
• Integrated control console with 15” touchscreen, keyboard & mouse
• Handheld pendant for manual control and machine easy setup
• All new rotary spin cut unit for tube applications

Pneuform: pioneers of 3D wire bending

Pneuform was a pioneer of CNC 3D wire bending. Today its wire and small diameter tube bending machines have become the industry standard with manufacturers of beer coolers, drink dispensers and HVAC equipment, as well as with makers of small diameter automotive parts. Pneuform’s range of wire bending machines includes rotary head models, flat rotary line bending machines and enamelled wire bending machines. Available in 2-axis and 3-axis versions, Pneuform machines cater for outside tube diameters ranging from 3 mm to 11 mm in stainless steel and 3 mm to 15 mm in copper.

About Unison Ltd: intelligent tube technology

Unison Ltd is the UK’s leading manufacturer of tube and pipe bending machines and continually innovates the tube and pipe bending marketplace. The company manufactured the world’s first all-electric tube bender in 1994, followed by the world’s first all-electric multi-stack tube bender, then the world’s largest all-electric tube bender for the shipbuilding industry. Available in single-stack, multi-stack and right/left varieties, Unison machines are delivered to more than 20 countries globally. Unison’s tube bending software is recognized as the most user-friendly control system for tube bending machines. The software is written and supported by Unison, ensuring complete control of its evolution, with no need for third party support.