A bend you have found once should not have to be found again
The expensive part of pipe bending is not the bending. It is the setting up — the trial bend, the check, the adjustment, the second trial bend. Do it once for a one-off and it is part of the job. Do it again every time a common section comes back through the shop and it is a tax you pay for ever. The 1302BA answers that with a programmable control board that stores up to 99 different bend depths.
This package pairs that control with the deluxe 302 die package, so the die sizes an exhaust shop uses most are on the machine from the first day rather than ordered against the first job that needs them.
What the control board actually stores
A programmable mini-computer is enclosed inside the front upright of the bender, where it is protected from the shop rather than mounted out in it. The keypad and display sit ergonomically at the front and give digital die angle readings during the bend, so the operator watches the angle arrive instead of stopping to measure it. The board manages bending in either automatic or manual mode, and holds up to 99 bend depths.
The number matters less than what it enables. Ninety-nine is enough to keep the standard sections for the vehicles you see most as recallable settings, which turns a familiar job from a setup exercise into a selection. It is also what makes a mirrored pair repeatable: the second side is the stored value, not a fresh estimate.
The deluxe 302 die package
The standard die pack covers 1.5", 1.625", 1.75", 2", 2.25" and 2.5" in the 302 pattern — which is to say the ordinary working range of automotive exhaust tube, in the increments it is actually produced in. Dies mount with twist-lock tooling and quick-change bending dies, so moving between sizes is a change of tooling rather than a strip-down, and the machine is designed around that being a frequent operation rather than a rare one. A 180° die is available separately for full U-bends.
The machine under the control
The digital control is the reason to choose this version, but it is bolted to a substantial press. The top cylinder produces up to 60,000 lbs. (27,216 kg), reacted by a welded steel tube frame in 6" x 6" section with 3/8" wall, with the cylinder stem passing through the primary frame and a one-piece barrel keeping the bending gates aligned with the ram. Tube capacity is 3" (76 mm) and the bending radius runs 3.3" (89 mm) to 5" (127 mm). Cylinder shafts are chrome-moly, conforming to ANSI 92.2 — a shaft material standard rather than a safety listing of the machine. A 5 HP motor drives a direct-drive 4 gpm pump, with a canister filter, a large reservoir, sight gauges and 1/2" oversized hose looking after the oil. Two rear end-finishing units, a clampless swager and an internal expander handle the ends.
| Bending controls |
Automatic, digital, storing up to 99 bend depths |
| Deluxe die package |
1.5", 1.625", 1.75", 2", 2.25", 2.5" (302) |
| Max. tube capacity |
3" (76 mm) |
| Bending radius |
3.3" (89 mm) to 5" (127 mm) |
| Top cylinder force |
60,000 lbs. (27,216 kg) |
Perfect for
- Exhaust shops with a repeating vehicle mix, where the same sections recur weekly.
- Production and batch fabrication, where part ten has to match part one.
- Restoration shops reproducing original bends across matched pairs.
- Busy general shops wanting setup time out of the job.
- Fabricators moving up from a manual bender who want their setups kept.
In the package
- The 1302BA digital automatic bender with the enclosed programmable control and keypad display.
- The deluxe 302 die package covering the six sizes listed above.
- Two rear end-finishing units, a clampless swager, an internal expander and the drop-in collar.
- Power-relief control valve, pressure gauges, NEMA-rated switch box with overload relays, industrial casters and tool trays.
The 180° die is a separate item. Ask for it to be quoted with the machine if U-bends are part of your work.
Power, and one table row to ignore
The specification table gives the motor as 5 HP at 208-230 VAC, 60 Hz, 1 PH — confirm that against the supply in your shop before delivery. Be aware that BendPak lists near-identical machines on a three-phase supply under separate listings, so if three-phase is what you have, ask us which one you should be ordering rather than assuming this page covers it.
In the same table, the dimensions block gives two of its three rows the same heading. "Depth" appears against 64" (1,626 mm) and again against 26" (660 mm). Both figures are genuine; the label on the second is not. We have not assigned it an axis, and if you are planning the bay to the inch, ask and we will confirm from the manufacturer's specification sheet.
Delivery and siting
Freight to the lower 48 states, priced live at checkout against the address you enter. The machine weighs 1,388 lbs. and ships crated at 48" x 70" x 30" (1,219 mm x 1,778 mm x 762 mm). Unloading is down to the receiver: a forklift rated for that crate, or a terminal collection from the carrier, which is often the easier of the two. Residential delivery carries a residential fee, applied at checkout when it is chosen. On the floor it takes about 41" (1,041 mm) by 64" (1,626 mm), rolls on industrial casters, and wants clear space at the rear for the end-finishing work.
Look the shipment over before you sign for it: crate damage, bent dies, cracked gauge faces, damaged control housing, hydraulic oil where there should be none. Note it on the bill of lading in front of the driver, and photograph it.
Warranty
A written BendPak warranty document covers this equipment and we hold the current copy — ask before ordering if the terms matter. As with any hydraulic machine: open the claim before you open the machine. A cylinder, pump or control enclosure taken apart ahead of a claim is normally treated as modified, and cover does not usually survive that. Photograph the fault, take the serial number, and call us first.
