Following a hugely successful five days at MACH 2026 at the NEC Birmingham, AMOB UK has completed the installation of an eMOB 225 fully electric tube bending machine at Navantia UK’s Appledore shipyard in North Devon.
The machine forms part of Navantia UK’s ongoing investment into pipe manufacturing capability at the yard and will support naval and heavy industrial fabrication work at Appledore.
At 53 tonnes, the eMOB 225 is the largest model in AMOB’s fully electric tube bending range. Developed for large-diameter and heavy-wall applications, the machine is capable of bending carbon steel, stainless steel and Cunife pipe up to 219 mm diameter.
Prior to delivery, the machine completed Factory Acceptance Testing at AMOB, giving Navantia UK engineers the opportunity to assess bending performance, repeatability and overall process control under production conditions in Portugal before shipment to the UK.
The eMOB 225 uses fully electric servo-controlled technology in place of traditional hydraulic systems, helping provide consistent axis control and repeatable bending performance across long production runs, while also reducing energy consumption and maintenance requirements.
Alongside fixed radius bending, the machine is also capable of variable radius and compound bending. Its multi-stack tooling configuration allows multiple tooling levels to remain installed simultaneously, helping reduce setup times between different pipe sizes and applications.
The installation reflects increasing demand for fully electric bending technology within sectors such as shipbuilding, defence and energy, where manufacturers are continuing to invest in improved process consistency, efficiency and production reliability.
Tom Wood, Managing Director of AMOB UK, said: ‘The requirements on projects like this are extremely high, particularly around repeatability and process consistency on large-diameter pipework. Fully electric bending technology is becoming increasingly important in these sectors, and the eMOB 225 is designed specifically for those kinds of demanding applications.’
The Appledore facility is currently supporting work connected to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Fleet Solid Support programme, with the upgraded Pipe Shop forming part of wider long-term investment at the yard.
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