BendTec Tour

Students taking the Materials Science course had the opportunity to attend a tour of the BendTec facilities in Duluth, MN this semester. BendTec is a fabrication, bending, and testing facility in Duluth, MN. They specialize in underground piping used for sewers and steam. All of the material tests are completed on-site using x-ray, tensile, and impact tests.

Figure 1 - Tubes are bent on large machines that first heat the material, followed by immediately cooling it.
This process maintains the strength of the material.

Many of the concepts that were learned throughout the course were discussed on the tour. It was important for students to be able to see the theories being applied to manufacturing. The tour covered techniques for bending, applications of their product, and an in-depth explanation of their testing processes.

Figure 2 - This is the result of an impact test that was demonstrated for the group.

This much exposure to material fabrication and testing could not be completed in Iron Range Engineering’s facilities. It allowed students to discuss the process with industry professionals, and witness the process first-hand. Thank you to everyone at BendTec for the awesome tour!