A new hybrid-electric mandrel tube bending machine from Unison Ltd is assisting Klarius, the UK’s largest manufacturer of aftermarket emissions control products, to develop the increasingly complex exhaust systems that are used in today’s petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles.
Credit: Unison Ltd
Klarius’ Head of Product Development, Doug Bentley, and R&D Technician – CNC Bending, Sean Morton, alongside the Unison Synergy mandrel tube bender.
Installed in the new product development area at Klarius’ 5.6-hectare manufacturing site in Cheadle, Stoke-on-Trent, the machine - an 80 mm maximum tube diameter Unison Synergy model - is already reducing new product prototyping and development times by 30% to 50% depending upon complexity. Delivering uncompromising levels of accuracy and repeatability, it is typically used to bend mild steel tube ranging from 32 mm to 70 mm in diameter, and for tight radius bends of up to 1.5x diameter (1.5D).
“Klarius is renowned for producing the highest quality, type-approved aftermarket vehicle exhaust products,” says the company’s Head of Product Development, Doug Bentley. “We offer more than 11,000 different parts and provide replacement emissions control solutions for more than 24 million vehicles in the UK and some 152 million vehicles in Europe.”
Leading the way in aftermarket emissions control products, however, means staying ahead of the game. That’s why, in 2024, Klarius took the decision to invest in a new mandrel tube bending machine to assist in new product development. “The ongoing drive for more energy efficient vehicles, with greater gas-flow through larger diameter tubing - and all within the constraints of more tightly packed engine bays - means tighter bends and increasingly complex aftermarket products,” adds Doug Bentley. “By investing in the latest mandrel tube bending capability today, we are future-proofing our design capability, and reducing the time it takes to develop first-class components.
“Having made the decision to purchase a mandrel tube bender for NPD, we considered a number of machines,” he continues. “Ultimately, however, we selected the Synergy hybrid-electric model from Unison Ltd based on its quality and performance. The fact that Unison is a UK manufacturer gave us a great deal of confidence in terms of future support. A visit to Unison’s Scarborough HQ for a product demonstration also confirmed their understanding of our needs.”
Following a factory acceptance test, the Unison Synergy tube bender was installed at the Klarius manufacturing site in autumn 2024. “The installation process was trouble-free and included two days of operator training to ensure we were up and running very quickly,” adds Doug Bentley. “Since commissioning, the machine has consistently produced good quality parts that are ready for scaling up for mass production. On the handful of times that we have needed support, typically when we were getting to know the machine, Unison’s support staff were quick to respond, either visiting us on site or dialling in. To enable us to use our existing bend tooling, Unison also supplied us with adapter blocks. They are currently assisting us in the development of bespoke tooling for new exhaust products.
“One of the big advantages of working with Unison,” he concludes, “is that just like Klarius, they are a UK company. They talk our language, understand our business, appreciate the importance of rapid support and have an excellent understanding of our goals and objectives. When we first began our search for a new tube bender, we did consider a machine from a manufacturer in the Far East, however the levels of support offered appeared vague.”
“It was an absolute pleasure to equip Klarius with a new Unison Synergy hybrid-electric tube bending machine,” comments Unison’s International Sales Manager, Andy Worthington. “Doug and his team have been hugely appreciative of the work we put into ensuring the Synergy machine met their needs and we are particularly pleased to hear of the considerable time savings it is already bringing to their new product development initiatives.”
Unison Synergy hybrid-electric tube bending machines
Unison’s range of hybrid-electric Synergy tube benders combine precise electric control with advanced, near-silent hydraulic operation. Developed for manufacturers and subcontractors who carry out both individual and repetitive tube bending tasks, Synergy machines are available in 50 mm and 80 mm (maximum tube diameter) versions. Standard features include Unison’s user-friendly Unibend touchscreen control, leading motors and drives, exceptional power and rigid mechanical design. Synergy mandrel tube benders offer functionality and user-friendly features similar to Unison’s industry leading, all-electric Breeze range of tube bending machines, but at a more accessible price.
Key features
- Electric control with advanced, near-silent hydraulic operation
- 50 mm or 80 mm collet capacity
- Exceptional power and rigid mechanical design
- Dual-stack bending – for combined bending and roll-forming applications
- User-friendly Unibend touchscreen control system
- Choice of industry leading motors and drives
- 3D component simulation and measuring machine interfaces
- Renowned Unison quality and reliability
- Designed for individual and repetitive tube manipulation tasks
- Servo-driven bend arm, carriage, plane of bend and carriage side shift
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.