Unison has developed a bending cell for tube and pipe manufacturer RathGibson to serve the demand for U-shaped heat exchanger components. A version of Unison’s servomotor-based tube bending machine uses a roll-forming tool to create custom-radius tubular parts under software control. The automatic bending cell is directly linked to the tube manufacturing process at RathGibson’s Janesville, Wisconsin facility. The bending cell has allowed RathGibson to offer a complete range of tubing for heat exchanger applications in the power generation industry and processing sectors such as chemical, petrochemical, and food. The tubing cell is able to supply custom-bent heat exchanger elements using a variety of tubing materials including all major stainless steel grades, numerous types of duplex stainless steel, super austenitic steel, and ferritic or super ferritic steel. As the heat exchanger elements come direct from the tube mill, RathGibson is able to supply detailed quality and traceability information as required. The company’s low oxidation, acid-free annealing process also complies with the ASTM/ASME 688 and 803 Feedwater Heater specifications used in this application sector.