Recently, the independently developed CNC Rebar Hoop Bender by Shandong Zhongji Luyuan Machinery has been officially delivered and put into use in key infrastructure projects such as Qingdao Metro Line 4 and the reconstruction and expansion of Ji-Qing Expressway. This intelligent equipment specially designed for rebar hoop processing has completely solved the industry pain points of "low efficiency, poor precision and high material consumption" in traditional manual hoop bending through the "CNC programming + fully automatic forming" technology, providing key support for the standardized and efficient upgrading of the rebar hoop processing link in infrastructure projects.
![rebar bending machine]( "rebar bending machine")
In infrastructure projects, as the "skeleton link" of reinforced concrete structures, rebar hoops have large usage and diverse specifications, and their processing quality directly affects the stability of building structures. For a long time, the industry has generally adopted the traditional processing mode of "manual marking + manual bending machine", which has multiple bottlenecks. Taking the commonly used rebar hoops with a diameter of 10-20mm as an example, traditional processing requires the cooperation of 2 workers: one marks and positions on the rebar according to the drawings, and the other operates the manual bending machine to bend section by section. This is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, with a per capita daily processing volume of only 300-500 pieces; more importantly, manual operation is easily affected by experience, and the error in the angle and length of rebar hoops often reaches 3-5mm, far exceeding the ±2mm standard required by regulations. This leads to repeated adjustments during on-site installation, with a rework rate of more than 15%. In addition, the rebar is prone to plastic deformation during manual bending, resulting in a material loss rate of over 8%. Moreover, workers need to perform repetitive operations for a long time, which leads to high labor intensity and a relatively high risk of safety accidents. With the improvement of infrastructure projects' requirements for construction precision and construction period, the traditional hoop bending method can no longer adapt to the rhythm of modern engineering.
![rebar bending machine]( "rebar bending machine")
The
CNC Rebar Hoop Bender developed by Shandong Zhongji Luyuan Machinery takes "intelligence + automation" as the core and achieves breakthroughs in the entire processing process. Its core advantages are concentrated in four major dimensions:
First, efficiency soars by 6-8 times and labor costs drop sharply. Equipped with a high-precision servo drive system and a double-station bending mechanism, the equipment can realize integrated operations of automatic rebar feeding, straightening, fixed-length cutting and multi-angle bending, without manual intervention in core processes. According to actual tests, when processing commonly used rebar hoops with a diameter of 6-25mm and an angle of 0-180°, the equipment can complete 3,000-4,000 pieces per day (based on an 8-hour working system), requiring only 1 operator to monitor the system. Compared with traditional manual processing, the efficiency is increased by 6-8 times, and labor costs are directly reduced by more than 70%; at the same time, the equipment supports continuous production, avoiding waiting time between traditional processes and greatly shortening the rebar hoop processing cycle.
Second, precision is strictly controlled within ±0.5mm, with a qualification rate of 99.9%. The equipment is equipped with an industrial-grade PLC CNC system, which supports presetting parameters such as the length, angle and quantity of rebar hoops through a touch screen. Combined with a laser positioning device, it calibrates the processing precision in real time: the bending angle error is controlled within ±0.5°, and the length error is ≤±0.5mm, far exceeding the ±2mm precision requirement in GB/T 13014 Hot-rolled Ribbed Steel Bars for Reinforced Concrete; in addition, the "progressive forming" technology is adopted in the bending process to avoid plastic deformation of the rebar due to excessive instantaneous force, reducing the material loss rate from the traditional 8% to less than 1.5%. The person in charge of the project construction said: "After using the CNC hoop bender of Zhongji Luyuan, the rework rate of rebar hoop processing has dropped from 15% to 0.3%, and the fit with the main reinforcement during on-site installation is perfect. This alone has saved the project 20% of the construction period."
Third, it is intelligent and convenient, adapting to multi-specification needs. In view of the variable specifications of rebar hoops in infrastructure projects, the equipment has enhanced flexible processing capabilities: it has built-in more than 1,000 templates for commonly used rebar hoops, covering various styles such as rectangles, diamonds and polygons. Operators can switch processing specifications with one click without re-programming; at the same time, the equipment is equipped with an IoT module, which supports remote viewing of processing progress and equipment operation status through a mobile APP. When a fault occurs, it automatically alarms and pushes solutions, reducing downtime by 40%; in addition, the equipment adopts a touch-screen operation interface, which is simple and easy to understand. New employees can operate independently after 1-2 days of training, lowering the threshold for employment.
Fourth, it is green and safe, conforming to modern construction standards. The equipment has been upgraded simultaneously in environmental protection and safety design: it adopts a low-noise motor and a shock-absorbing structure, with operating noise controlled below 70 decibels, which is lower than the workshop noise limit; at the same time, the equipment optimizes the rebar straightening mechanism to reduce rebar wear during the straightening process, further reducing material waste and meeting the requirements of green construction in infrastructure projects.
![steel bar bender]( "steel bar bender")
Industry experts point out that the CNC Rebar Hoop Bender of Shandong Zhongji Luyuan Machinery has transformed rebar hoop processing from "manual experience-driven" to "digital intelligent control". It not only solves the efficiency and quality problems of individual projects, but also promotes the transformation of the rebar processing industry from "labor-intensive" to "technology-intensive". With the in-depth advancement of China's "New Infrastructure" and "Transportation Power" strategies, such intelligent processing equipment will become the core equipment for infrastructure projects to reduce costs, improve efficiency and ensure project quality.
According to the R&D director of Shandong Zhongji Luyuan Machinery, in the next step, the company will launch customized versions of CNC hoop benders suitable for bridges, high-speed railways and high-rise buildings according to the needs of different infrastructure scenarios, add AI visual inspection functions to realize real-time monitoring and data traceability of rebar hoop processing quality; at the same time, it plans to expand the overseas market, promote domestic intelligent rebar processing equipment to infrastructure projects along the "Belt and Road", and help improve the efficiency and quality of global infrastructure projects.
