Manufacturer of customer-specific tube bending machines, bending cells, profile and plate bending machines as well as bending tools, Made in Germany.
Schwarze-Robitec GmbH & Co. KG
Cologne (Headquarters, Production Facility) · US BranchNew on Amplifa
About Schwarze-Robitec
Schwarze-Robitec is a mechanical engineering company based in Cologne that has been developing and manufacturing tube bending machines and complete tube bending solutions for over 80 years. The portfolio includes CNC tube bending machines in hydraulic, (partially) electric and hybrid versions, mandrel bending machines, plate bending machines (Platebender PB), profile bending machines (Sectionbender SB), the patented TorqueFormer for torsion-superimposed 3D forming, membrane waterwall machines (FL series) for boiler and power plant construction as well as fully automatic bending cells with tube feeding, handling, end processing and integrated quality control. The offering is complemented by modularly configurable bending tools, control and measuring technology, perforating machines, sawing and micro-lubrication systems as well as complete overhauls of its own and third-party machines. The machines process steel, stainless steel, aluminium, titanium, copper, nickel alloys and iron, from one-off production to large-scale series. Customers come from the automotive industry, e-mobility, chemical plant engineering, boiler and power plant construction, shipbuilding, offshore, aviation, refrigeration and air conditioning technology as well as the furniture industry. The headquarters with production facility is located in Cologne; in 2015 a US branch was established.
- Site
- Cologne
- Processes
- Tube bending (cold bending, mandrel bending), Heavy duty tube bending (CNC tube bending for chemical plant engineering, minimal ovality), Bending of double-wall tubes, Bending of flanged tubes (flange tube systems), Flanging, Tube perforating (perforating machines), Automatic tube bending in fully automatic bending cells (automotive supplier industry), Mandrel bending of thin-walled tubes with very small radii
- Materials
- Steel, Nickel alloys, Iron, Stainless steel, Aluminium, Titanium, Copper, Steel tube (max. 25 mm diameter, 2 mm wall thickness on CNC 25 E TB MR)
- Certificates
- Integrated quality control in bending cells
- Founded
- Over 80
- Industries
- Automotive and automotive supplier industry, E-mobility / battery technology, Chemical plant engineering, Boiler and power plant construction, Shipbuilding, Offshore industry
- 01
Consulting and design of the customer-specific bending solution
- 02
Tool and component manufacturing
- 03
Machine and plant engineering (including bending cells as general contractor)
- 04
Assembly and pre-acceptance at the factory
- 05
On-site commissioning
- 06
Service, maintenance, complete overhaul
Materials and Processes
Steel
Standard material for tube and bending applications, including steel tubes up to 25 mm diameter on the CNC 25 E TB MR.
Stainless steel
For chemical-carrying lines with minimal ovality, e.g. pigging tubes in chemical plant engineering.
Aluminium
Lightweight material for complex tube geometries, among others on the CNC 40 Rotary.
Titanium
Demanding material for aviation and demanding bending tasks.
Copper
Material used, among other things, for busbar and conductor bar bending in e-mobility.
Nickel alloys
High-strength special materials for chemical plant engineering, machinable with multi-bend tools.
Iron
Material for tube systems in plant engineering.
Plate bending (Platebender PB)
Roll bending of plates with material thicknesses from a few millimetres to 125 mm with three or four rolls.
Profile bending (Sectionbender SB)
Bending of flat, angle, T, C and special profiles, standard configuration with eleven axes.
TorqueFormer
Patented free-form bending process that forms profiles three-dimensionally with superimposed torsion.
Locations
Cologne
DEHeadquarters, production and sales location (production facility)
- Lot size
- One-off production to large-scale series
- Materials
- Steel, stainless steel, aluminium, titanium, copper, nickel alloys
- CNC 220 HD MW
- CNC MR
- CNC 25 E TB MR
- CNC 40 Rotary
- Platebender PB
- Sectionbender SB
- TorqueFormer
- FL machine series
- Fully automatic bending cells
US Branch
USSales branch (established 2015)
Machines and Solutions
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tube bending (cold bending, mandrel bending)Forming | – | – | – | One-off production – Large-scale series | Steel, Nickel alloys, Iron, Stainless steel, Aluminium, Titanium, Copper |
| Heavy duty tube bending (CNC tube bending for chemical plant engineering, minimal ovality)Forming | – | 5 m (tube length CNC 220 HD MW) | – | – | Steel, Nickel alloys, Iron, Stainless steel |
| Bending of double-wall tubesForming | – | – | – | – | – |
| Bending of flanged tubes (flange tube systems)Forming | – | – | – | – | – |
| FlangingForming | – | – | – | – | – |
| Tube perforating (perforating machines)Forming | – | – | – | – | – |
| Automatic tube bending in fully automatic bending cells (automotive supplier industry)Forming | – | – | – | Mass production/large-scale series | High-strength and lightweight materials, Tubes with low wall thicknesses |
| Mandrel bending of thin-walled tubes with very small radiiForming | – | – | – | – | – |
| Production of tube and profile semi-finished products with integrated quality controlTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Cutting/severing of tubes (cutting systems, controlled sawing system)Machining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Membrane waterwall bending (FL machine series, boiler/power plant construction)Forming | – | 25,000 mm and more × 3,600 mm | – | – | – |
| Busbar bendingForming | – | – | – | – | – |
| Tube bending fully electric (CNC 25 E TB MR, small diameters)Forming | – | – | – | – | Steel, Stainless steel |
| Tube bending with rotary function (bending left/right on both sides in one operation)Forming | – | – | – | – | Aluminium, Titanium, Copper, Steel, Stainless steel |
| Plate bending (Platebender PB, 3 or 4 rolls)Forming | – | – | – | – | Plates |
| Profile bending (Sectionbender SB, flat and angle iron, T, C and special profiles)Forming | – | – | – | – | Flat iron, Angle iron, T-profiles, C-profiles, Special profiles, Heavy profiles |
| Torsion-superimposed three-dimensional forming of profiles (TorqueFormer, free-form bending process)Forming | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1D/3D bending (two bending radii in one tube coil)Forming | – | – | – | – | – |
| Tube end processing (integrated in bending cells)Machining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Complete overhaul of tube bending machinesEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Assembly overhaul of tube bending machinesEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacture of bending tools (single-groove and multiple-radius bending tools, incl. specialEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Design and construction of customer-specific bending cells/systems (general contractor)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
9 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNC heavy duty tube bending machine with multi-bend tool | Schwarze-Robitec CNC 220 HD MW | – | Tubes max. 219.1 x 12.7 mm diameter/wall, tube length up to 5 m | – | Cologne (manufacturer) |
| Mandrel bending machine series CNC MR (with multi-bend tools) | Schwarze-Robitec CNC MR | – | – | – | Cologne (manufacturer) |
| Fully electric CNC tube bending machine | Schwarze-Robitec CNC 25 E TB MR | – | Steel tubes up to 25 mm diameter at 2 mm wall thickness; stainless steel tubes up to 20 mm at 1.5 | – | Cologne (manufacturer) |
| CNC tube bending machine with rotary function (freely rotating bending head) | Schwarze-Robitec CNC 40 Rotary | – | Tube diameter 6 to 40 mm | – | Cologne (manufacturer) |
| Plate bending machine (3 or 4 rolls) | Schwarze-Robitec Platebender PB | – | Plate thicknesses from a few mm to 125 mm | – | Cologne (manufacturer) |
| Profile bending machine (variable number of rolls, 11 axes standard) | Schwarze-Robitec Sectionbender SB | – | – | – | Cologne (manufacturer) |
| Profile forming machine, torsion-superimposed 3D (patented) | Schwarze-Robitec TorqueFormer | – | – | – | Cologne (manufacturer) |
| Membrane waterwall machine | Schwarze-Robitec FL machine series | – | Tube wall width max. 3,600 mm, length 25,000 mm and more | – | Cologne (manufacturer) |
| Fully automatic bending cell | Schwarze-Robitec | – | – | – | Cologne (manufacturer) |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality
On request, Schwarze-Robitec integrates measuring systems for quality control directly into the bending cells, so that only flawlessly bent tubes undergo further processing; during complete overhauls, all weld seams are tested and machine safety is completely rebuilt.
| Evidence | Cologne |
|---|---|
| Integrated quality control in bending cells |
History
- 2013
Heike Ahlers joins the Business Development area.
- 2014
Tenth trade fair appearance at Tube Düsseldorf; presentation of the Platebender PB, Sectionbender SB series and the TorqueFormer at EuroBLECH.
- 2015
Establishment of the US branch; article on chemical plant engineering.
- 2019
Delivery of the fully electric CNC 25 E TB MR to the Chinese automotive supplier Changzhou Liangxu Vehicle Accessories.
- 2020
Article on the complete overhaul of tube bending machines as an alternative to buying new.
- 2021
Realignment of the sales leadership (Heike Ahlers, Philipp Knobloch); presentation of the CNC 40 Rotary bending cell.
- 2023
First appearance at the Battery Show Europe Expo in Stuttgart with the CNC 25 E TB MR.
- 2025
Update of the General Terms and Conditions of Delivery and Payment (as of 05.2025).
- 2026
Planned trade fair appearances at SMM (shipbuilding) and Fabtech in Las Vegas.