7/30/2019 A Conversation With a Bender

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/a-conversation-with-a-bender 1/3

MODERN STEEL CONSTRUCTION july 2008

W

 WhaT DO bENDERS WaNT yOUTO kNOW abOUT bENDINg? Brian Smith, CFO and general managero Albina Pipe Bending Co., Inc. and vice-

chair o the AISC Bender-Roller Com-mittee, oered his insight to MSC on thebenefts o bending-rolling structural steel,

 why there isn’t more bent steel out there,and what benders—and engineers, archi-tects, owners, and general contractors—cando about it.

 Wt cn ender offer project

(esides curv steel)?Construction projects oten take time

in planning and securing a contractor andthen the subcontractors. By the time steelabricators (a subcontractor to the gen-eral contractor) issue a purchase order toa bending company, it is quite oten very late in the process, and the materials arerequired quickly. Luckily, this is a situation

 where a bender can be most benefcial. Typically, steel is readily available at 

local service centers and can be sent toa bender within a day o ordering it. I necessary, an AISC bender has the abil-ity to set up a machine and bend steelthe day material is received—to a high

level o quality and to spec. While this

isn’t the cheapest option, it can come inhandy when time is crucial. Many bend-ers have the equipment, tooling, and abili-ties to bend whatever is required in very 

ast time rames. Because we are typically toward the bottom o the “supply oodchain”, we are used to working and per-orming under considerable amounts o pressure. And in many cases the time it takes to provide the bent materials on aproject is miniscule when compared tothe duration o the entire project.

 An example: We were contacted by acustomer in Caliornia who orgot to or-der some spiraled material or a new jazzclub. The club had a published openingdate and a planned party, neither o whichcould be negotiated. The abricator need-ed some tubing spiraled immediately orthey would be aced with signifcant liqui-dated damages. We got material the next day rom a local service center, spiraled it immediately, and had the bent materialor the spiral staircase on-site in time orthe abricator to abricate and install—prior to the opening.

Benders, i included early in a project,can help provide assistance on what is andisn’t easible concerning a design and can

help save time and money as a project moves orward.

Bender-rollers

are very secretive

when it comes to

their processes, but

they’re very open

about the benefts o 

bending steel.

 a Converstion wit bender

Photos: Cortes Kotter Meta Prodcts

bending and rolling

7/30/2019 A Conversation With a Bender

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/a-conversation-with-a-bender 2/3

july 2008  MODERN STEEL CONSTRUCTION 

In all cases, a qualifed bending company is going to know what processes are required, what tooling is required, and what mate-rial thickness/size is required to meet an A/E’s design and quality requirements. But again, benders are typically not contacted early in a process, and projects (at times) are designed where no one canbend the material to the quality standards that are required.

Consulting a qualifed bender early in the design process willallow them to identiy potential problems prior to the fnalizationo a design and provide some potential alternatives when neces-

sary. For example, an architect may want to design a bent sectionout o HSS 7” × 3” × 0.25” wall material, which, i it can even beound, would be very expensive. The qualifed bender could rec-ommend alternatives such as HSS 8” × 4” × 0.25” wall or HSS8” × 2” × 0.25” wall, which is more readily available, will bendeasier, and will cost less.

Length can also be an issue. At times, designs are fnalized us-ing uncommon lengths or require arc lengths that are not possiblerom assumed lengths. For example, a building may require HSS12” × 12” × 0.375” wall to be bent, and the design requires 21 t o arc (bent material). The architect assumes that a 24-t length(which is available) will be required. I a qualifed bender is consult-ed, the bender can explain the bend process and the requirement 

or tangent/straight material on either side o the arc section—andin this case, the bender will point out that a 24-t length wouldonly result in 17 t to 20 t o arc (depending on the bend processemployed). To generate a 21-t arc, 28-t to 32-t lengths would berequired. By contacting a bender early, not only would the A/E beaware o this requirement, but also the material size or arc sectioncould be altered to save in wasted “drop” material.

 Wt re our touts on “fe” endin?Rolling a length o material into a circle, utilizing a consistent 

radius and a consistent smooth fnish, is really not (in many cases)an extremely time-consuming process. However, i you were to takemany smaller, miter-cut pieces and put them all together with weld-ing, it will be much more time-consuming and in turn, much moreexpensive. Furthermore, it will be very difcult to achieve the quality 

and consistency the bending process could have oered; the fnish will not be consistently smooth and there won’t be a consistent radiusover the entire arc. Besides that, it’s a waste o resources (welding wire, welding gas, power, etc.). Unortunately, while this seems like a basicconcept to benders, it isn’t always so obvious to others.

Bending material with the proper process (many processesare available), proper tooling, and proper expertise will result ina product that is smooth throughout the entire bent section o material and has a consistent radius over the entire arc. Further-

more, bending a length o material will use less resources and canbe produced in a quicker time rame.

 Wt will it te to et more a/E’s to request ent steel

in project?I would hope that early involvement would help change old

opinions and misconceptions about bending. I a bender is con-sulted early in the design process, it will allow them to providepros and cons associated with the bent material in that particulardesign. By educating A/Es on the availability o benders, I wouldhope they would start to use our knowledge to help with the de-sign.

 We rarely deal with A/Es directly—which I hope will

change. Our main customers are steel abricators, who are hiredby the GCs, and the GC is the direct contact with the A/E. Bend-ers are oten twice removed rom the A/Es and have little to nocontact with them. By the time a bender is given drawings, the de-sign is typically fnalized. I the bender has issues with a particulardesign, it is almost too late at that point to assist.

 The more A/Es know about bending, the better it will be or ourindustry. In most cases, proessionals do not know that many dier-ent bending techniques exist, each one resulting in a dierent level o quality and consistency. Furthermore, within a process dierent typeso tooling can be used, again, resulting in dierent levels o quality andconsistency. By educating A/Es about the bending process, it will helpthem ask the proper questions early in the process. It can help identiy quality requirements on a project and confrm whether those require-ments are achievable. Hopeully, understanding the bending process

Cortes Chicago Meta Roed Prodcts

 C  o ur  t  e s  yW a gn er M ur r  a yA r  ch i   t  e c t 

 s 

Steven Brooke Stdios

july 2008  MODERN STEEL CONSTRUCTION 

7/30/2019 A Conversation With a Bender

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/a-conversation-with-a-bender 3/3

MODERN STEEL CONSTRUCTION july 2008

and understanding that their are many quali-fed AISC Member benders readily availableto talk to will help A/Es eel more comort-able designing with bent material.

 The other key element is to share theabove inormation with GCs. Some GCsare not comortable taking on steel jobs,especially those that include bending; they are more comortable working with con-

crete or other materials. I A/Es continue to work with GCs that are not willing to pursueprojects that include bent steel, we will con-tinue to have a problem. Communication withGCs and A/Es will result in knowledge o thebending industry, which should equal moreprojects being designed and built out o steel(and in particular, bent steel).

So re enders min n effort

to et “closer” to te owners, ndterefore, te decision-min

process on projects?

Our frm tries to get our name in ront o anyone who will listen, and educate themon what we do. Obviously, our major ocusis the steel abrication market, but we do not limit our marketing eorts to just abrica-tors. There is a massive group o individualsto market to and educate, and there needs tobe a collective eort o everyone in the steelindustry. Steel needs to become a more com-mon concept to owners, and the strengths o steel need to become common knowledge.

 The act is that many potential “owners”have no idea that that steel is bent by a bend-ing company. We hear: “You mean it just doesn’t come that way?” and “Wow, there isa lot o bent steel around, but I never noticedit beore you mentioned what you do.” Thebest way to get owners to ask or a project to be erected rom steel, and to include bent steel, is to help open their eyes to the readily available options that steel can provide.

But i an A/E or GC is not willing todesign with bent steel, unless an owner isadamant about it the design will shit toother alternatives. In our opinion, the other

options are typically not the best options,but are comortable. Benders need to makeeveryone involved with the process eelcomortable with the bending option! 

 If you have any questions on bending-rolling or are looking to use curved steel in a project, visit www.aisc.org/benders or contact the AISC Steel Solutions Center at 866.ASK.AISC.