Conduit bender

Abstract

A bending system, configured to bend conduit, includes a bender head, a bend shoe, and a stand configured to support the bender head above a surface. The bender head includes a housing and an output shaft, the output shaft extending from the housing and driven to rotate relative to the housing about a bending axis. The bend shoe is coupled to the output shaft for rotation therewith and is configured to engage the conduit. The stand includes a center column configured to couple to the bender head and a set of legs coupled to the center column and configured to engage the surface. The set of legs includes a first leg and a pair of second legs.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system comprising:
 a bender head configured to bend conduit, the bender head comprising:
 a housing; 
 a motor contained within the housing; and 
 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 configured to engage the conduit; and   a backformer 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.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a second channel, and wherein the backformer is alternately mountable in the first channel and the second channel. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a bender stand is configured to support the bender head above a ground surface, and wherein the bender stand is moveable between an extended position and a collapsed position. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the bender stand is removably attached to the bender head. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein 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. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the socket includes notches positioned opposite one another, and wherein the notches are configured to serve as an alignment feature when coupling the bend shoe to the bender head. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the backformer includes a backformer arm supporting the roller. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the bender head includes a gear train housed within a gear case, wherein the output shaft is coupled to the gear train and at least partially extends from the gear case, and wherein the backformer is coupled to the gear case. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein 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. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein a fixing assembly includes an actuator configured to selectively release the backformer arm and allow movement of the backformer arm between the set positions. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein 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. 
     
     
         12 . A bending system configured to bend conduit, the bending system comprising:
 a bender head including a housing and an output shaft, the output shaft extending from the housing and configured to be driven to rotate relative to the housing about a bending axis;   a bend shoe coupled to the output shaft for rotation therewith and configured to engage the conduit; and   a stand configured to support the bender head above a surface, the stand including a center column configured to couple to the bender head, and a set of legs coupled to the center column and configured to engage the surface,   wherein the set of legs are unevenly circumferentially spaced about the center column.   
     
     
         13 . The bending system of  claim 12 , wherein the stand is movable between an expanded position and a collapsed position. 
     
     
         14 . The bending system of  claim 12 , wherein 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
 wherein the first leg is spaced from each of the pair of second legs by a first spacing, and wherein the pair of second legs are spaced by a second spacing that is different than the first spacing.   
     
     
         15 . The bending system of  claim 14 , wherein the first leg includes a base and the pair of second legs include respective bases, and wherein the base of the first leg is wider than the respective bases of the pair of second legs. 
     
     
         16 . The bending system of  claim 15 , wherein the base of the first leg includes a T-shaped bar. 
     
     
         17 . The bending system of  claim 12 , wherein the stand includes a collar assembly slidably coupled to the center column, and wherein 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. 
     
     
         18 . The bending system of  claim 17 , wherein the collar assembly includes a tube body and a handle, the tube body configured to receive the center column. 
     
     
         19 . The bending system of  claim 18 , wherein the collar assembly includes a bushing positioned within the tube body between the center column and the tube body. 
     
     
         20 . The bending system of  claim 18 , wherein the collar assembly includes a locking system, the locking system configured to selectively lock the set of legs in an expanded position and a collapsed position. 
     
     
         21 . The bending system of  claim 20 , wherein the center column includes a first aperture and a second aperture, and wherein 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. 
     
     
         22 . The bending system of  claim 21 , wherein the handle includes an actuator coupled to the detent pin to selectively disengage the detent pin from the first aperture and the second aperture. 
     
     
         23 . A bender head configured to bend conduit, the bender head comprising:
 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 configured to engage the conduit;   a backformer including a roller configured to engage the conduit and press the conduit against the bend shoe;   a sensor configured to detect an orientation of the bend shoe; and   a controller coupled to the sensor.   
     
     
         24 . The bender head of  claim 23 , wherein 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.   
     
     
         25 . The bender head of  claim 23 , wherein 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. 
     
     
         26 . The bender head of  claim 23 , wherein the sensor is an angle sensor, and wherein the bender head further comprises a current sensor configured to measure current draw of the motor, and
 wherein 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. 
   
     
     
         27 . The bender head of  claim 26 , wherein the controller is configured to monitor the current draw as a rolling average. 
     
     
         28 . The bender head of  claim 23 , wherein 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.   
     
     
         29 . The bender head of  claim 23 , wherein 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.   
     
     
         30 . The bender head of  claim 23 , further comprising a drive system and a motor braking system, the motor braking system including a brake configured to act on the drive system and to be activated by the controller when a bending operation is at least partially finished.