The all-electric tube bending machine manufacturer Unison has extended its international sales operations with the appointment of a new agent for Germany and Austria. This new international support will help Unison to serve the high and growing levels of demand for its all-electric, servomotor-actuated machines.

The new agent, EMS Ltd, has a strong background in related machinery fields, and brings detailed knowledge of local metalworking manufacturing bases, as well as the advanced technologies used in Unison's machines.

Unison was the first company to build an all-electric, servomotor-controlled tube bender, and has consistently pushed the boundaries of this technology for more than a decade. Over the last two years, its business has been growing very rapidly, driven in part by worldwide trends of large increases in the cost of both tubing materials, and energy. As a result, most tender documents now specify all-electric architecture.

"All-electric tube servomotor-based bending machines have traditionally been used in applications which demand  great precision, and use costly exotic materials", says Unison's Sales Manager Julian Birditt. "Now many more people are looking at the technology, in the light of escalating raw material costs, because machine set up is highly repeatable and scrap is almost eliminated. When you factor in much lower energy consumption, compared with the hydraulic machinery counterparts, the benefits become very compelling. This new agent will extend our reach greatly, helping us to take our message to new markets."

"After some 10 years on the market, all-electric tube benders are now taking a larger and larger share of the market from traditional hydraulic powered equipment. This is because of a combination of advantages including precision, deskilled machine set-up, reduced scrap, almost silent operation, and very significant energy savings" says EMS's managing director Martin Brucks. "I am delighted to have won the Unison franchise, as this company has a genuine reputation for innovation, and regularly wins orders for some of the most challenging tube bending applications in the world."

All-electric actuation provides significant advantages in terms of precision, repeatability and energy consumption. Each of the tools employed during bending is under software control, providing almost instant change over of tools and allowing users to create smooth and accurate bends. Once the machine is set up, operating parameters can also be stored, allowing machines to be reconfigured for another part or batch in a few minutes, without creating any scrap. Further, as the actuation elements of the machine only need energy when a bend is being made, total power consumption is greatly reduced. Among Unison's latest technology advances is a laser measurement system that dynamically measures the accuracy of bend angles and automatically compensates for any errors.

EMS was selected for Germany and Austria because its personnel has previous experience with Unison - EMS's managing director Martin Brucks has commissioned and maintained a number of Unison's existing machine installations in Germany.

"With the recent introduction of benders that take the maximum size of tube that can  be handled to 150 mm, all-electric machines are really starting to eat into the mainstream tube bending marketplace", adds Julian Birditt. "We're fortunate to secure the services of this agent at this time, as EMS brings a wealth of experience that allows it to hit the ground running, and provide the local support needed to secure customers in this region."