Bending Aluminum Pipe in small radius

[dbtoutfit]

[wizard]

My experience was with die casting a long time ago. That process would not work for this part!

Depending on what your needs are I would imagine that you could do a sand casting with a core. The core would be comples and probably fragile for such a smal part. The core molds would also be complex. There would be alot of work going into this before you even had a part.

Consider a lost wax process also which might be a bit easier.

A hard mold would be very complex if this is a low production rate item. It might be useful to consider though.

Dave

[frequent flyer]

This is what I use to make all types of headers for RC aircraft. It works well for Alum tube but you must anneal the tubing first. For Stainless steel headers it takes more power and I use a hydraulic bender with custom made dies . What ever you need a mandrel in side the tube to prevent it from collapsing.

[dbtoutfit]

Would you mind explaining a little more about the SS tubing?

I really wanted to go this route but was concerned about weight.
What size tubing do you use? Wall thickness? Is there a specific type?
Do you have to Tig SS or can it be Brazed?

Any general knowledge on the subject would be nice.
Do's
Dont's
Etc

Very Nice tools BTW, are those for sell to the US?

Thx
Eric