A SCARBOROUGH manufacturer specialising in the design and production of tube bending machines has won a new order from an exercise equipment firm.

Unison has been contracted by Cybex International to provide a machine to reduce waste material costs by eliminating the need to cut shorter tubular parts to length after bending.

Cybex produces a range of physical exercise machines at two large manufacturing facilities in Medway, Massachusetts and Owatonna, Minnesota.

Nearly all Cybex exercise equipment is based on tubular steel framework, most of which is produced at the Owatonna plant.

Jim Saynor, Unison’s senior commercial manager, said: "Most of our machines are used for bending tubes with round profiles.

"The Cybex application is unusual, involving a diversity of tube profiles, and the company has built up considerable expertise in this highly specialist discipline.

"We have worked closely with Cybex and our tool manufacturer to ensure that the machine we deliver will provide a right-first-time manufacturing solution, from the moment that it is installed.

"This collaboration included videoing existing bending operations to make sure that every iota of Cybex's specialist know-how is encapsulated in the design of the tools, machine and tube bending methodologies.”

Cybex currently uses hydraulic tube benders to handle the bulk of its production needs, together with a single all-electric CNC machine for more complex parts that require multiple bends with different radii.

The custom bending machine that Unison has designed will bend these complex and short tube shapes without generating cut-off waste.