digital readout for bender...

[One of Many]

That makes for some difficult challenges to place any type of digital readout. The linear travel of the ram is not directly proportional to the rotation of the mandrel and the pivot of the mandrel has no stable centerline for a rotary encoder option.

I'm not sure if even a linear to rotary(Yoyo style) cable wrap on the mandrel would work.

That's a tough one!

DC

[InspirationTool]

If there are levels with serial output similar to calipers, you could put a level on each end of the tube to be bent, and take the difference with a simple computer program.

[One of Many]

That is a darn good idea!

Maybe double back tape or fasten one of these to the mandrel?

Zero it out before the bend. The ones we use have better than 1/2deg accuracy at .2deg resolution.

http://www.jlindustrial.com/catalog/...osearchpage=Y#

DC

[Pook]

Has anything happened with this?

I'm hoping to build a similar thing for a homebuilt JD2 Style tube bender with hydro conversion.

I would be intereseted in going one step farther and adding a programable stop number possibly using a small PLC or somthing simpler if possible.

[fool_injected]

Digital Gauge: http://wixey.com/anglegauge/index.html

from: http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/showthread.php?t=23552

[fool_injected]

Digital Gauge: http://wixey.com/anglegauge/index.html

from: http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/showthread.php?t=23552

[mikek10]

If you wanted to go the whole hog get an all electric bender with laser angle verification see this article

[tullsa]

I've been bending for 20 years on various machines a pines 2,4,4 with booster ,pacific coast cnc ,rotary etc used digital displays from telidyne pines and several others ,and have my own pines 1 7/8 (cheapest} easiest to use is a degree wheel for timing a car engine resting on top of the die "0" degrees aligned with the starting mark use a traight edge at the front of the master bar/backslide/pinch roller

[tullsa]

my last post assumes a tube bender with a die ,clamp and backslide. for a pipe bender with center mounted ram an adjustable protracter with 18 inch arms from lee valley tools is the easiest way to go set your angle on the protractor then bend to it ,digital is great for production but not always needed

[rock4xfab]

Search Tube Bandit.... full digital read out for pro-tools, and JD2 STYLE BENDERS...