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Helpful Hints/D.I.Y.: Wire bending machine

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Just found this 3-D printed wire bending machine and thought it could be nice for someone needing models out of bent wire for creative projects:

https://howtomechatronics.com/projects/arduino-3d-wire-bending-machine/

Hi Jerome,

You are amazing! How on earth did you find such a little treasure! I wonder whether it would be feasible to control the shape of the wire with curves of defined radius. I guess one would have to add some sort of guiding mandrills if one wanted a defined gentle radius in any XYZ position, and not just a sharp bends!

I wish there was a way contact the author!

Remarkably, the sprockets and various plastic clamping parts were beautifully printed by a relatively inexpensive 3D printing machine!

I have been looking for computer controlled tube benders but this means, theoretically one could scale this up!

Asher
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
These can be approximated with several sharp bends, can't they?

Unfortunately not, Jerome!

But this D.I.Y. Is a wonderful example of the Democratic, equalizing Power of the free spread of knowledge on the internet.

The model is beautifully simple and well explained. Imagine how many kids can be inspired further by that and get confidence to experiment on their own!

How did you come to find this little treasure?

It’s so close to a $28,000 Bayleigh machine and a more advanced $800,000 Dutch version I have been studying and would love to be able to afford for bending steel tube. Just your D.I.Y. find is so marvelously miniature!

Essentially it means, that if I had to, I could replicate that Dutch machine! That to me, just the thought of it, is simply mind blowing!

Asher
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Even if you used a lot of them? I mean hundred or so?


Unfortunately, we can easily notice the difference!


Entirely by chance. I was not looking for it.

Well, Jerome it’s wonderful you met with chance like this. I am so impressed with how well this wire bender replicated so well very costly machines. It’s such a generous act of the creative engineer.

I, personally am enthused by this and might even scale this up 100 times or more to use it for steal tubing! I would have to add mandrill forms to control the radio of curves, but much of the basic thinking that in expensive tube bending machines, is already done!

What seemed such a practical impossibility for a non-engineer, a week ago, now appears doable!

Asher
 
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