Conduit Bender

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/657,260, filed Jun. 7, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.

The present disclosure relates to a tool for bending conduit. Conduit may include pipes, electrical metallic tubing (EMT), intermediate metal conduit (IMC), rigid metal conduit (RMC), rigid non-metallic conduit (RNC), solid stock, rebar, or any other elongate material.

In one example, the disclosure provides a bending system including a bender head for bending conduit, a bend shoe, and a backformer. The bender head includes a housing; a motor contained within the housing; and an output shaft driven by the motor to rotate about a bending axis. The bend shoe is coupled to the output shaft for rotation therewith and for engaging the conduit. The backformer is slidably mounted in a first channel of the housing for movement to a set of positions, the backformer including a roller configured to engage the conduit and press the conduit against the bend shoe.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, the housing includes a second channel, and the backformer is alternately mountable in the first channel and the second channel.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, a bender stand supports the bender head above a ground surface, and the bender stand is moveable between an extended position and a collapsed position.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, the bender stand is removably attached to the bender head.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, the bend shoe includes a hub and a sector body extending from the hub, wherein the hub includes a socket positioned on a rear face of the hub, and wherein the socket includes a non-circular inner profile configured to transmit rotation from the output shaft to rotate the bend shoe.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, the socket includes notches positioned opposite one another, and the notches serve as an alignment feature when coupling the bend shoe to the bender head.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, the backformer includes a backformer arm supporting the roller.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, the bender head includes a gear train housed within a gear case, the output shaft is coupled to the gear train and at least partially extends from the gear case, and the backformer is coupled to the gear case.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, the backformer arm is slidably mounted within the first channel such that the backformer arm is movable between set positions correlated to different sizes of the bend shoe.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, a fixing assembly includes an actuator configured to selectively release the backformer arm and allow movement of the backformer arm between the set positions.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, the backformer arm is positioned within the first channel such that a ratio of roller distance to bend radius is between 0.75 and 1.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, a bending system for bending conduit includes a bender head including a housing and an output shaft, the output shaft extending from the housing and for being driven to rotate relative to the housing about a bending axis; a bend shoe coupled to the output shaft for rotation therewith and for engaging the conduit; and a stand to support the bender head above a surface, the stand including a center column to couple to the bender head, and a set of legs coupled to the center column and to engage the surface. The set of legs are unevenly circumferentially spaced about the center column.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, the stand is movable between an expanded position and a collapsed position.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, the set of legs includes a first leg extending from the center column and a pair of second legs extending from the center column, and the first leg is spaced from each of the pair of second legs by a first spacing, and the pair of second legs are spaced by a second spacing that is different than the first spacing.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, the first leg includes a base and the pair of second legs include respective bases, and the base of the first leg is wider than the respective bases of the pair of second legs.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, the base of the first leg includes a T-shaped bar.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, the stand includes a collar assembly slidably coupled to the center column, and the collar assembly is coupled to the set of legs via struts that are pivotably coupled to the collar assembly and to the set of legs.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, the collar assembly includes a tube body and a handle, the tube body for receiving the center column.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, the collar assembly includes a bushing positioned within the tube body between the center column and the tube body.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, the collar assembly includes a locking system, the locking system for selectively locking the set of legs in an expanded position and a collapsed position.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, the center column includes a first aperture and a second aperture, and the locking system includes a detent pin that selectively engages the first aperture and the second aperture to lock the set of legs in the expanded position and the collapsed position, respectively.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, the handle includes an actuator coupled to the detent pin to selectively disengage the detent pin from the first aperture and the second aperture.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, a bender head for bending conduit includes a housing; a motor contained within the housing; an output shaft driven by the motor to rotate about a bending axis; a bend shoe coupled to the output shaft for rotation therewith and for engaging the conduit; a backformer including a roller for engaging the conduit and pressing the conduit against the bend shoe; a sensor for detecting an orientation of the bend shoe; and a controller coupled to the sensor.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, the controller is operable to: receive one or more selected from a group consisting of a target bend angle, a conduit size, and a conduit type, and determine a spring back adjustment based on the group.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, the controller is operable to determine a calibrated clamp position for a bending operation by receiving, from the sensor, an angle of the bend shoe, and storing the angle of the bend shoe in an internal memory of the controller as a calibrated clamp position.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, the sensor is an angle sensor, and the bender head further includes a current sensor configured to measure current draw of the motor. The controller is operable to: determine if the current draw monitored by the current sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold, and deactivate the motor in response to the current draw exceeding the predetermined threshold.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, the controller is operable to monitor the current draw as a rolling average.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, the controller is operable to: activate the motor to rotate the bend shoe to a starting position, lock the bend shoe in the starting position, analyze signals received by the sensor to determine that the bend shoe is locked, and set an angle position to zero.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, the controller is operable to: detect a starting position of the bend shoe based on data from the sensor, thereafter, compare the starting position to a pre-programmed lock position, and thereafter, activate the motor to rotate the bend shoe to the pre-programmed lock position.

In another example, which is combinable with any other example, the bender head further includes a drive system and a motor braking system, the motor braking system including a brake to act on the drive system and to be activated by the controller when a bending operation is at least partially finished.

The features identified above may be used in any combination or individually. Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.

Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways.

It should also be noted that certain features are described in reference to certain embodiments but are not limited to application in that embodiment and may be incorporated into other embodiments, both explicitly disclosed and not disclosed.

Pipes or conduit are used in a variety of use cases that can require different configurations and shapes be created. A conduit bender is typically used to form the pipes into the desired shape. Conduit benders or conduit bending tools can be used to bend conduit including pipes, electrical metallic tubing (EMT), intermediate metal conduit (IMC), rigid metal conduit (RMC), rigid non-metallic conduit (RNC), solid stock, rebar, or any other elongate material. Conduit benders typically use a bend shoe that includes an arc-shaped outer rim defining a bend radius. The conduit is pressed against the outer rim to create a bend in the conduit having a radius corresponding to the bend radius of the bend shoe. The figures and disclose provide various aspects of conduit benders and bending systems. Unless otherwise stated, any of the features discussed can be implemented with or without any of the other features disclosed and any combination of features is included in this disclosure.

illustrates a powered conduit bending toolalso referred to herein as a bending system. The bending systemincludes a bender head, a bender standsupporting the bender headabove a ground surface, and a bend shoeremovably coupled to the bender head.illustrates the bending systemin an active configuration. In the active configuration, the bender headis supported on the bender stand, and the bender standis expanded and engages the ground surface to provide a stable base. The bend shoeis coupled to the bender headto receive conduit.illustrates a length of conduit C loaded into the bend shoeand ready to be bent by the conduit bending system. The bending systemis also movable to a storage or transport configuration in which the bender headis detached from the bender stand() and the bender standis in a collapsed position (). The bend shoemay remain attached to the bender headduring transport or may be removed and stored separately. The bend shoemay be one of a set of bend shoesthat are alternately couplable to the bender head. The set of bend shoesmay include bend shoesof varying sizes (e.g., with different bend radii, with varying channel widths, etc.). To successfully bend most types of commonly used conduit an operator uses one of three bend shoes: a first bend shoe (e.g., for bending ½″ EMT), a second bend shoe (e.g., for bending ¾″ EMT and ½″ RMC), and a third bend shoe (e.g., for bending 1″ EMT and ¾″ RMC). Therefore, in some embodiments, the bending systemincludes a set of three bend shoessubstantially similar but scaled to different sizes.

With reference to, the illustrated bend shoeincludes a huband a sector bodyextending from the hub. The hubincludes a socket() that couples to the bender headand defines a rotation axis R (). In the illustrated embodiment, the socketis positioned on a rear face of the huband includes a non-circular inner profilecapable of transmitting rotation to rotate the bend shoeabout the rotation axis R. In other embodiments, the bend shoemay include a socket positioned on an outer surface of the hubto engage a pole or other powered bending system. As discussed further below, in some embodiments, the socketmay be separately formed and coupled to the hub. In other embodiments, the socketis integrally formed in the hub. In the illustrated embodiment, the non-circular inner profileincludes a set of similar teethand a pair of notchespositioned opposite each other about the rotation axis R. The notchesmay serve as an alignment feature when coupling the bend shoeto the bender head. In other embodiments, the inner profilemay be shaped differently (e.g., square, D-shaped, splined, oblong, etc.).

With continued reference to, the bodyof the bend shoeis designed to reduce the weight of the bend shoe. Operators may be required to carry multiple bend shoesto a jobsite to perform the needed bending operations. To minimize the weight of the overall bending system, the bend shoesare designed to be light weight compared to traditional bending shoes. The bodyincludes an outer edgefollowing a bend radius measured from the rotation axis R. The outer edgedefines a channelfor receiving conduit C. The bodyfurther includes a hookpositioned on the opposite side of the channeland outward from the outer edge. The conduit C may be installed in the bend shoeby positioning the conduit C in a front portion of the channelbetween the outer edgeand the hook. In a bending operation, force may be applied to the portion of conduit extending above the outer edgeto press the conduit C into the channeland form the conduit C to the bend radius.

The outer edgeis supported by a spur supportsextending between the huband the outer edge. The spur supportsmay extend radially from the huband may be angularly spaced by an angle A. In the illustrated embodiment, the bodyincludes three spur supportsspaced by approximatelydegrees. In other embodiments, other configurations may be used. Openingsare defined between the spur supports. The openingsdecrease the amount of material used in the bodyand therefore decrease the weight of the bend shoe. In some examples, the bend shoeis mostly formed from aluminum which is relatively light weight compared to other materials used to form bend shoes, e.g., steel. The bend shoemay include a steel internal structure() that interfaces with and receives torque from the bender head. The steel internal structuremay surround and include the socket. In some embodiments, the steel internal structureextends within portions of the bodysuch as within one or more of the spur supports. The steel internal structurereinforces the aluminum bend shoeand provides the needed support while minimizing the added weight. In some embodiments, the steel internal structuremay be a removable insert coupled to the hub. Due to the application of large amounts of torque, the interface between the socketand the bender headcan be subject to wear. Thus, the steel insert may be removed and replaced in the event of damage to the socketand inner profile.

Turning to, the bender headis shown detached from the bender stand. The illustrated bender headincludes a housing, a drive systemat least partially disposed within the housing, a roll cagecoupled to the housing, and a user interfacefor controlling the bender head. The housingmay be formed from plastic and may generally surround a portion of the drive systemas well as electronic components used in operating the bending system. As discussed above, the bending systemis a powered system. The bending systemincludes a battery() electrically coupled to the drive system. In the illustrated embodiment, the batteryis mechanically supported on the housingof the bender headby a battery mount, or battery receptacle, () in a battery receiving area. In other embodiments, the batterymay be supported on the bender stand(e.g., adjacent a lower end of a center column thereof, on a leg thereof, etc.) and the bender standmay electrically couple to the bender headto transmit power to the drive system. In still other embodiments, the batterymay be otherwise positioned or the bending systemmay be include an electrical cord configured to connect the bender headto power.

With reference to, the drive systemincludes a motor, a gear traincoupled to the motor, and an output shaftcoupled to the gear train. The motordrives the output shaftto rotate about a bend axis B through the gear train. The gear trainis not limited to the arrangement illustrated in, numerous other gear trainconfigurations exist. The motor, the gear train, and at least a portion of the output shaftare positioned within a gear case. The gear casemay be formed from metal or another rigid material. The gear caseis at least partially positioned in the housing. In the illustrated embodiment, the drive systemhas an aligned configuration meaning the motorand the output shaftare coaxial. In other embodiments, the drive systemmay have an offset configuration where an axis of the motorand the bend axis B of the output shaftare parallel but spaced. In still other embodiments, the drive systemmay have an angled configuration where the axis of the motorand the bend axis B of the output shaftare at an angle with respect to each other.

As seen best in, a portion of the gear casemay extend from a side of the housing. The output shaftextends from the portion of the gear casealong the bend axis B. The output shaftincludes an end portionwith a splined outer profile that generally corresponds to the inner profileof the bend shoeto rotatably couple the bend shoeto the output shaft. The illustrated profiles include a toothed circumference and opposed notches. In some embodiments, the profiles may include square profiles or any other noncircular profiles capable of transmitting rotation therebetween. The bend shoemay include a retaining feature (not shown) and/or quick-connect feature (not shown) to selectively secure the bend shoeto the output shaftby preventing movement along the bend axis B. In other embodiments, the bend shoemay be permanently coupled to the output shaft. For example, the bend shoemay be integrally formed or machined as a single piece with the output shaft.

With reference to, the bender headincludes a backformer armextending from the gear case. The backformer armincludes a rollerthat cooperates with the bend shoeto secure conduit C in the bender head. For example, the rolleris rotatably mounted on a shaft and rotates with respect to the shaft relative to the backformer arm. In other embodiments, the rollermay be omitted. In such embodiments, the backformer armmay include, for example, a force reactionary member, or projection, that is stationary (i.e., non-rotatable). When the motoris activated, the bend shoeis rotated about the bend axis B by the drive systemand the conduit C is pressed by the rollerof the backformer armagainst the outer edgeof the bend shoecreating a bend in the conduit C.

Turning to, the bender headis removably coupled to the bender standby a mounting assembly. In the illustrated embodiment, the mounting assemblyincludes a mounting bracketthat secures to the gear case. In other embodiments, the mounting bracketmay be part of the housingor otherwise secured to the bender head. The mounting bracketdefines a central channelthat receives an upper postof the bender stand. The mounting bracketincludes a first openingand the upper postincludes a second openingWhen the mounting bracketis fitted over the upper post, the first openingand second openingmay be aligned. In the illustrated embodiment, the first openingis one of a pair of first openingsand the second openingis one of a pair of second openingsA detent pinis coupled to the mounting bracketand is biased by a springto extend through the aligned openings,The detent pinsecures the mounting bracketon the upper postthereby coupling the bender headto the bender stand. The position of the second openingon the upper postlimits the orientation of the bender headwith respect to the bender standand acts as an alignment feature. In other embodiments, the bender headmay be removably coupled to the bender standin other ways.

With reference to, the roll cageprovides structural support in the event the bender headis impacted or dropped. The roll cageat least partially surrounds the housingand is formed from, for example, metal or sturdy plastic to protect the housing(formed from a lighter plastic) and electronic components contained therein. In the illustrated embodiment, the roll cageincludes a plurality of rails including a pair of side railsand a plurality of cross rails. The side railsare coupled together by the cross railsextending perpendicularly therebetween. The roll cageis coupled to the housingso the side railsare positioned on either side of the housing. In some embodiments, the roll cagemay couple to the gear caseand be configured to react the force of an impact or drop through the gear caseto protect the housing. As seen best in, in the illustrated embodiment, the side railsare different shapes and connect to the housingat multiple points and at least one cross railcouples to the housing. In other embodiments, the side railsmay be the same shape and the roll cagemay couple to the housing using a different combination of cross rails and side rails. With reference toespecially, the roll cageis disposed further outboard of the housingin all directions. Thus, if the bender headis dropped onto a surface, the roll cageis positioned to contact the surface before the housingand absorb the impact. The side railseach define a gap creating an access channel allowing the operator to access the user interfacewhile still protecting the housing. As seen best in, the gear caseextends past the side railsuch that the end portionof the output shaftis positioned beyond the roll cage. The bend shoeis coupled to the output shaftto define a bending plane P that does not intersect the roll cage. Therefore, the roll cagedoes not inhibit the bending operations. In some embodiments, the roll cageis fixed to the housing. In some embodiments, the roll cageis removably coupled to the housingto allow for easy replacement if the roll cageis damaged.

In addition to protecting the housingfrom impact, the roll cagealso provides a number of grab points, allowing the operator to easily support the bender head. For example, the operator may grab any of the cross railsor side railsin order to lift the bender headand position the channelof the mounting bracketabout the upper postof the bender stand. Additionally, in the transport configuration the grab points defined by the roll cageprovide a handle for the operator to carry the bender head. In some embodiments, one or more of the grab points may include a grip surface that is shaped or textured to provide a specific handle portion. The roll cagemay also be used to secure the bender headduring storage and prevent theft, for example, by winding a chain through the roll cageand coupling the chain to a fixed or secure structure. In some embodiments, the roll cagemay also enable the operator to support the bender headon a hook or otherwise hang the bender headduring storage.

Turning to, the backformer armof the bender headis movably coupled to the gear case. The backformer armmay be movable between set positions correlated to different sizes of bend shoe. As discussed in further detail below, the positions may be specifically selected based on a spacing between the rollerand the edge of the bend shoeto maximize the efficiency of the bending systemfor each size bend shoe. In the illustrated embodiment, the backformer armis slidably mounted in a channeland is held in position by a fixing assembly including an actuator() to selectively release the backformer armand allow movement of the backformer armbetween the positions. The backformer armmay include markings or indicia to assist the operator in determining the correct position for the backformer armbased on the bend shoebeing used. In the illustrated embodiment, the fixing assembly engages the backformer armto selectively secure the backformer armin one of three positions. In other embodiments, more or less positions may be included to correspond with the bend shoesof varied sizes used in the bending system.

With reference to, in some embodiments, the backformermay be removably coupled to the gear caseand may be assembled to the bender headin multiple configurations. In these embodiments, the channelis a first channeland the gear caseincludes a second channelThe backformer armis alternately coupled to the gear casein an upper configuration () and a lower configuration (). In the upper configuration, the backformer armis slidably received in the first channelwith the rollerpositioned above the housing. The bend shoeis coupled to the bender headas seen in, and conduit C can be positioned between the bend shoeand the backformer arm. Conduit bent with the backformer arm in the upper configuration is moved by the bend shoesuch that an end of the conduit C extending rearwardly from the bender headis moved down toward the ground during the bending operation. In the lower configuration, the backformer armis slidably coupled to the second channelwith the rollerpositioned below the housing. The bend shoeis coupled to the bender headin a position rotateddegrees opposite from the position shown in. Conduit C is positioned between the bend shoeand the backformer armand is bent so that an end of the conduit C extending forwardly from the bender headis moved up away from the ground during the bending operation. In the illustrated embodiments, the first channeland the second channelare parallel and the upper configuration and the lower configuration are spaced apart by 180 degrees. In other embodiments, the configurations may be spaced by other set angles and the channels,may extend at an angle with respect to each other. The two assembly configurations of the backformer armand bend shoeallow the operator to assess the surrounding environment and select how the conduit will move. Additionally, in the upper configuration the conduit C is near eye level to assist the operator in aligning multiple bends in the same plane.

Turning toand as discussed above, the backformermay be lockable in each of a set of positions by the fixing assembly (e.g., the detent feature) and the positions each correspond to a size of bend shoe. The positions are selected to place the rollerin the right location with respect to the bend shoeto properly bend the conduit C without damaging it. The rollershould be close to the bend shoein order to properly form the conduit C to the outer edgeof the bend shoe. However, if the rolleris too close to the bend shoethen the rollercan apply excessive force to a sidewall of the conduit C which can deform the shape of the conduit C (e.g., denting the diameter, flattening a circular shape into an ovaloid shape, etc.). Similarly, the lateral distance between the bend shoeand the rollercan impact the amount of force applied to conduit C especially during the beginning of a bending operation. The fixing assembly limits the backformerto the set positions that provide the highest force from the rollerwithout damaging the conduit C and maintaining the torque applied to the bend shoe. The preselection of the set positions saves the operator from needing to waste material by doing a test bend and from needing to manually fine tune the position of the backformer.