Unison Ltd

Faroe House
Thornburgh Road
Scarborough,  North Yorkshire  YO11 3UY

United Kingdom
44 (0) 1723 582868
http://www.unisonltd.com

• Booth: S34035

 Press Releases

• Unison launches ‘refurbish and recontrol’ service for Addison tube bending machines (Jul 08, 2024)

  Unison Ltd, the UK’s leading manufacturer of tube bending machines and the inventor of all-electric tube manipulation, has introduced a ‘refurbish and re-control’ service specifically for Addison tube bending machines.

  The service has been designed to provide owners of Addison tube benders with a cost-effective, quality assured means of upgrading their older machines with the latest operating technologies, for enhanced levels of control, productivity and performance.

  

  Re-Control of an Addison tube bending machine

  It involves the use of Unison’s latest servo-drive platform, new control & drive chassis plates, a replacement machine controller, an updated safety PLC, and a new Windows 11 PC running the latest version of Unison’s advanced Unibend CNC.

  All replacement parts are covered by a comprehensive warranty, and a full machine inspection and condition report is included. A detailed quotation is provided prior to work commencing and additional operations can be included if required.

  Back in autumn 2022, Unison Ltd recruited a number of former key employees from the recently defunct Preston-based Addison Forming Technologies Ltd (previously known as Addison McKee).

  “With new Unison technologies in the pipeline and exciting long-term strategic plans,” comments Unison’s joint managing director, Alan Pickering, “our aim at the time was to employ as many of the former Addison team members as we could justify, in order to keep their considerable skills in the UK.

  “It was a move that helped grow our consumable tooling offering in particular, as well as expand our reach both at home and overseas.

  “However, talking to users of Addison tube bending machines over the last 12 months led us to realise that a very real need also existed for a refurbish and re-control service tailored to Addison tube benders.

  “After all, many of these machines have been in operation for a good number of years. Additionally, not all owners have the desire or the budget to purchase a new tube bending machine.

  “With these points in mind, we set about creating a refurbishment and re-control offer specifically for owners of Addison models.”

  Re-controlled Addison tube bending machines benefit from Unison’s proprietary Unibend CNC.

  This Windows-based system allows for ease of setup and network integration of various coordinate measuring machines, while existing tube bending templates can be easily modified to adapt to new part requirements.

  By using TeamViewer connectivity software in conjunction with their Unibend CNC, Unison can also remotely access both machine and data, to help resolve issues and assist with new application requirements – often eliminating the need for a site visit.

  Recently launched consumable tooling service

  Unison’s new refurbishment and re-control offering for Addison bending machines follows on from its recently launched consumable tooling service – the result of a £750,000 investment.

  At the heart of the service is a new consumable tooling manufacturing centre at Unison’s Scarborough HQ.

  From here, fully tailored tooling agreements are prepared and around £100,000 worth of tooling, including mandrel balls and wiper dies, is held in stock for on-demand, scheduled and next-day delivery.

  “Through our new re-control opportunity for Addison machine owners, and our new tooling service for owners of Unison and other makes of tube bending machine,” concludes Alan Pickering, “our objective is to help as many organisations as possible that are involved in tube manipulation to improve accuracy and efficiency, and to also save time and money.”

  Unison’s ‘refurbish and re-control’ package for Addison machines includes:

  • Unison’s latest servo drive platform
  • Machine inspection & condition report
  • New control & drive chassis plates
  • Replacement machine controller
  • Updated safety PLC – complying with latest machinery standards
  • New Windows 11 PC and latest version of Unibend software

  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 recognised 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.

  www.unisonltd.com

• PRESENTING INNOVATIVE TUBE AND WIRE BENDING TECHNOLOGIES AT FABTECH 2024 (Aug 15, 2024)

  Unison Tube LLC, the North American division of UK-based Unison Ltd, the inventors of all-electric tube manipulation, will be presenting a range of tube and wire-bending technologies at FABTECH.

  Visitors to Booth S34035 at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center, will be able to view one of Unison’s recently launched Synergy hybrid-electric tube bending machines, a Unison EvBend 1000 manually operated, CNC-controlled tube bending machine, and a Pneuform rotary head wire and tube bending machine.

  “FABTECH is always a key event on our calendar,” says Stuart Singleton, VP of Danville, VA-based Unison Tube LLC.

  “The 2024 event, however, is going to be extra special for us. Not only because 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of Unison Ltd launching the world’s first all-electric tube bender, but because it’s also the first year we’ll be showcasing Pneuform wire and small-bore tube bending machines.”

  Unison Ltd acquired Pneuform – a leading name in the manufacture of wire forming and small-bore tube bending machines in the fall of 2023 – and has been working hard to ensure the brand continues to lead the way in the wire bending machinery market.

  Like all Pneuform machines, the model on show at FABTECH will be equipped with Yaskawa drives and Unison’s user-friendly software for easy programming and operation.

  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 operation.

  “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 we’ll have on show, there’s also a larger 80 mm machine. Both have our user-friendly Unibend control and industry leading motors and drives. They offer exceptional power and rigid mechanical design.”

  Finally, visitors to Unison’s booth at FABTECH will be able to discover the company’s incredible EvBend machines.

  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.

  “Add the latest advances in Unison’s Unibend CNC, tube bending simulation software and advanced tube bending application app, and we’ve a good deal to show customers old and new,” continues Stuart Singleton.

  

  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.

  www.unisonltd.com

• UNISON MARKS 30 YEARS SINCE IT LAUNCHED THE WORLD’S FIRST ALL-ELECTRIC TUBE BENDING MACHINE (Aug 15, 2024)

  Unison Ltd, the UK’s leading manufacturer of tube bending technologies, is celebrating 30 years since it invented all-electric tube manipulation and launched the world’s first all-electric tube bending machine in 1994.

  It’s an invention that has changed the way tube is bent by precision industries around the globe.

  Convinced there was a better, more precise way of bending tube than by using the hydraulically operated machines of the day, in the late 1980s Unison’s founder, Terry Pickering, along with his son, Alan (who is now the company’s joint managing director), set about reinventing the process of tube manipulation.

  “It was no great secret that the accuracy of hydraulic tube bending machines could be affected by changing oil temperature,” says Alan Pickering.

  “In other words, a machine with cold hydraulic oil at the start of a shift might well perform differently later in the day when its oil was hot. The greater viscosity of the cold oil, compared to that of hot oil, would typically result in the machine operator having to make temperature-related adjustments during the day to ensure satisfactory levels of repeatability.

  “With all those manual adjustments to make – particularly on the clamp and pressure die – each operator would keep a black book of how they managed to get a good part out of their tube bending machines.”

  

  Taking the black art out of tube bending

  Unison’s ultimate goal was to take the black art out of tube bending as much as possible, by letting a CNC capture all the correct machine axis settings – in order to repeat them on future bends and get to a point where ‘right first time’ results were possible.

  During the R&D process, it also became clear that to achieve this, it was important to not only control axis position, but also the force of each axis.

  Following a 1991 Brite Euram feasibility study into automatic setup tube bending, in 1992 Unison secured a SMART award to develop three all-electric tube bending machines.

  “At that point we were already well on the way to understanding what we would need to do to create the world’s first-ever all-electric tube bender,” adds Alan Pickering.

  “The easy axis to do was the bend arm; the challenge was all the other axes. It took a few years to achieve what we wanted, but by pushing the servo actuators of the day to their limits, we developed a process where low-friction-slide adjusting mechanisms powered by an electric motor with torque control, brought absolute pressure control to bending machine components such as the clamping die, pressure die, mandrel and powered follower.

  “All-electric tube manipulation had been invented – with the assurance of accuracy and repeatability at the tightest of bending parameters for large and small production runs, and with no concern over hydraulic oil or even external temperatures.”

  The birth of the Breeze

  Called the Unison Breeze, due to the speed and ease it brought to achieving repeatable tube manipulation, the world’s first all-electric three-axis tube bending machine was launched by Unison in 1994.

  UK and German patents were registered, and right-first-time tube bending was born.

  Over the following years, Unison developed and launched the world’s first all-electric five-stack tube bending machine, followed by the world’s first 76 mm, 115 mm, 150 mm and 180 mm multi-stack machines, as well as robotised benders and twin-head tube benders for producing symmetrical, simultaneous bends.

  Today, with facilities in the UK and USA, Unison offers the world’s largest range of ultra-precise, all-electric tube and pipe bending machines for diameters ranging from 4 mm to 275 mm, in single-stack, multi-stack and right/left versions.

  For more straightforward, repetitive applications, it has also recently introduced a range of high-accuracy hybrid machines.

  “All-electric tube bending was a difficult sell for us at first,” says Alan Pickering. “In fact it took a number of forward-thinking customers to put their faith in our technology before others would make the switch.

  “However, our big breakthrough came when Airbus ordered their first all-electric tube bender from us – a machine that paid for itself in 16 weeks, in reduced scrap alone. As all-electric tube manipulation caught on, competition from the bigger players was inevitable, but we kept our heads down and kept on pushing forward.

  “Today, of course, all-electric tube bending machines are commonplace offerings from manufacturers from around the world.

  “But I am proud to say that we remain the preferred choice of countless organisations from all manner of industry sectors. Whether it’s aerospace, performance automotive, marine, oil & gas, energy or general manufacturing, we take pride in building powerful, highly energy efficient machines that meet the challenges faced by our customers head on.

  “Thanks to our build quality, uncompromising customer support and user-friendly control systems – not to mention our tube bending simulation software and innovative tube bending application app – I truly believe that 30 years on from the first Unison Breeze machine, we still have, and always will have, the edge.

  “You could say we’re the original and best.”

  

  Play Video

  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 recognised 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.

  www.unisonltd.com

 Products