Aluminum bending device for solar collector absorbers
Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2025 10:07 am
The use of sheet aluminum in conjunction with copper pipes is very often used by Canadians, Americans, Australians. In our country, this is not a popular solution (as far as I know). Some people oxidize copper, others simply paint the pipes.
The device for bending sheet aluminum is made of plywood 19 mm thick and about a meter long, in which there is a square groove 16x16 mm. To form a recess for the pipe, a steel rod with a diameter of 16 mm is taken (the pipe in most collectors is half an inch).
The "nest" for forming aluminum is made from two 16 mm plywood bars, glued and screwed to the base to form a square groove. Some brands of sheet aluminum already have a small bend exactly in the middle of the sheet, and if it does not, you need to be more careful when bending.
The hammer pressing method seems unconvincing at first glance, but in practice it works great. The process of bending aluminum using a rod and a sledgehammer is clear from the photo: place the metal on kazakhstan mobile database plywood exactly above the groove, install the rod, hold it and hit the structure with a vertically placed hammer without excessive force. This method prevents the ribs from bending upward.
Press for aluminum sheets
Once you get the hang of it, bending one absorber will take no more than 20 seconds.
Don't forget to check the tightness of the absorber to the pipe.
Plywood for bending can always be improved with rod holders, a limiter on one side to prevent the aluminum sheet from sliding on the plywood.
You should not make the ribs too long, as copper and aluminum expand at different rates and short ribs (60-70 cm) will cope with this better. The ribs must be aligned and pressed.
There is a way to completely wrap a pipe in aluminum. See step-by-step photos of this process below.
This method allows for full contact between the absorber and the copper pipe, which improves the performance of the collector, but also complicates the process of creating the absorber.
The device for bending sheet aluminum is made of plywood 19 mm thick and about a meter long, in which there is a square groove 16x16 mm. To form a recess for the pipe, a steel rod with a diameter of 16 mm is taken (the pipe in most collectors is half an inch).
The "nest" for forming aluminum is made from two 16 mm plywood bars, glued and screwed to the base to form a square groove. Some brands of sheet aluminum already have a small bend exactly in the middle of the sheet, and if it does not, you need to be more careful when bending.
The hammer pressing method seems unconvincing at first glance, but in practice it works great. The process of bending aluminum using a rod and a sledgehammer is clear from the photo: place the metal on kazakhstan mobile database plywood exactly above the groove, install the rod, hold it and hit the structure with a vertically placed hammer without excessive force. This method prevents the ribs from bending upward.
Press for aluminum sheets
Once you get the hang of it, bending one absorber will take no more than 20 seconds.
Don't forget to check the tightness of the absorber to the pipe.
Plywood for bending can always be improved with rod holders, a limiter on one side to prevent the aluminum sheet from sliding on the plywood.
You should not make the ribs too long, as copper and aluminum expand at different rates and short ribs (60-70 cm) will cope with this better. The ribs must be aligned and pressed.
There is a way to completely wrap a pipe in aluminum. See step-by-step photos of this process below.
This method allows for full contact between the absorber and the copper pipe, which improves the performance of the collector, but also complicates the process of creating the absorber.