So I'm fairly interested in attempting to build my own CNC wire bender (or
former, as they also seem to be called). I've done some basic web searches
and found some places that sell big industrial machines for this. I don't
need or want a big industrial machine. I just want a simple bender, and it
appears that building one is the only way.

That said, I'm really interested to see how the existing ones do what they
do, yet I don't know anyone close by with one. Web searches seem to turn
up some fuzzy pictures from far away of big machines, but that's it.
Anyone know where I might find some pictures of one in action? Or even a
bigger tube bender would probably be fine since it's the same concept on a
larger scale (and obviously with added considerations like kinking).

I've got a basic idea, but I would just like to see one. Specs on what I
want are something that can bend up to 3/16" diameter mild steel wire
(which is really getting to the point of being small diameter rod, I think,
but that's just semantics, right?). I probably don't care to bend at a
radius any smaller than two or three inches, but being able to go up to
fairly large radii is important (but that direction seems easier to achieve
up to a point). I'll probably build a 2D machine (ie. it bends the wire in
two directions, but any resulting output would lay flat on a table) to
start, but would ultimately like to create one that can bend in 3D.

Any pointers at all on existing things to look at would be welcome.


--Donnie

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Donnie Barnes http://www.donniebarnes.com 879. V.