Welcome to Smart Bend™
Proto-1 Manufacturing is introducing a new way to do exhaust for car enthusiasts. We have designed a new way to bend exhaust tube to meet any exhaust needs on cars. The Smart Bend™ is a 2.5″ OD .065″ wall 409 Stainless Steel Pipe that allow anyone to form to function with their exhaust system.
The bending process is simple and made for at home use or in the field use eliminating the need to go to a repair shop. This is available in different lengths to fit almost any application. Check out the pictures and video below to learn more about Smart Bend™.
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- Mustang with Smart Bend™
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- Smart Bend™ with Bender
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- Smart Bend™ Cross Section
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- Before and After Smart Bend™
Coating Technology
Tool life during the tube forming process in production is key for many industries. Many industries run hundreds of thousands of parts per year and it is important that tooling life can withstand difficult manufacturing environments. We use a variety of coatings on our tooling depending upon the end forming application:
TiC: TiC is a Titan Carbide based CVD coating. The coating uses a Chemical Vapor Deposition process in which thin-film coatings are formed as the result of reactions between various gaseous phases and the heated surface of substrates within the CVD reactor. After the process is complete, the coating provides a hardness of 2800-3400 HV. TiC coating is utilized by our ram and rotary tools.
TD: TD is generally a Vanadium Carbide based thermal diffusion (TD) coating. This coating has a thickness of 0.0002-0.0003″ with a hardness of 3500 to 3800 HV (Vickers Hardness). For comparison, hardened tool steel measures 500-800 HV (55-65Rc). TD coating provides excellent resistance to wear and galling.
Concept (PVD): Concept coating utilizes a Physical Vapor Deposition process which requires less heat than the other two coatings that were mentioned. Because of this attribute, concept coating is a perfect candidate for tooling or parts that run the risk of dimension being altered from a higher temperature process. Concept coating has a hardness of 3800 HV with a thickness of 0.0002-0.0003″.
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- Coated Tooling Nose
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- 360 Ram-40 Overview Thumbnail
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- Tooling Nose Before Coating
Fabtech 2018 Atlanta
Fabtech Atlanta is right around the corner and this year Proto-1 Manufacturing will be exhibiting in booth C10474. New this year on display will be our redesigned ISM-6 with added capabilities. To see this new machine, make sure to stop by our booth and see the demo! If you wish to attend the show and need tickets please contact our sales staff at sales@proto1mfg.com and our sales staff will send free admission tickets to the show.
Virtual Tour
Make sure to check out our latest production! Click the picture below to see our virtual tour!
