Hydraulically Retrofitted Tube Bender

The Engineering Innovation Studio (EIS) is a place where students, student organizations, and laboratories frequently manufacture parts for projects. The EIS has many advanced machines, but their manual tube bender was lacking in usability and mobility. To bend large tubing, it was necessary for multiple people to push on long extension arms, making usability physically demanding and unsafe. It also lacked mobility because the tube bender had to be bolted down during operation due to the applied force. To improve these aspects, our team was tasked with retrofitting the tube bender to be mechanically assisted and mobile. Mechanical assistance was achieved through a hydraulic ratcheting system, while mobility was addressed with a custom frame. With these alterations, the tube bender can bend large tubing with little physical effort and is functional in a variety of locations

Team Members

Department

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering

Mentor

Aaron Smith, Ph.D.
Griff Allen

Sponsor

Boise State – Engineering Innovation Studio