Equipment
Maintenance

• What kind of oil do I put in my hydraulic pump and how much?
  We recommend a good grade of hydraulic oil. A 20 viscosity would work fine. If that is not available, a good grade of SAE #10 non-detergent oil can be used, but it’s preferable to use hydraulic oil. The tank holds 10 liters of oil. Whenever you fill the reservoir, run the cylinder in and out three times to prep it. You may need to add a little more oil, but don’t fill the tank up again, because it will overflow when oil pumps out of the cylinder during the bending process. If the cylinder doesn’t move easily, or the pump strains to work, you probably need to add a little more oil.
  
  
• How many bends can I make with a die set before it wears out?
  It depends on what metal alloy you’re bending. Bending hard alloys will take its toll on your draw block. We publish our metal alloy capabilities in our catalog; others alloys can be bent, but this may affect the life of your die. Greasing the draw block will also help minimize friction and wear on the main moving component of a die set. Draw blocks need to be greased before every bend. This will give you longer die life and help in the performance of the die set. With proper care, hundreds if not thousands of bends can be made on a die set.
  
  
• Why do I need to grease the draw blocks?
  Greasing the draw block before every bend minimizes friction and wear on the draw block — the moving part of a die set. We recommend any good wheel-bearing grease. If you don’t grease the draw block, the cast iron material of the block will heat up and bond to your tube as it’s bending. This creates galling of the wear surface of the block, which will then gall the tube.