CNC Panel Benders: RAGOS Automatic Panel Bending Centers
Automatic panel bending machines from RAGOS, sold, installed and supported in North America by Tube Form Solutions.
Tube Form Solutions represents RAGOS for sales and service. Visit RAGOS's website for company news and their global product range.
What Is a Panel Bender?
A panel bender is an automatic sheet metal bending center. Instead of an operator lifting, flipping and re-positioning the sheet at a press brake for every flange, the panel bender clamps the sheet, rotates and positions it itself, and forms each flange with upper and lower bending blades. That means up and down flanges on all four sides, usually in one handling.
Panel Bender vs. Press Brake
| Panel bender | Press brake | |
|---|---|---|
| Best parts | Box-shaped panels: cabinets, enclosures, doors, HVAC housings, appliance and furniture panels | Almost anything: brackets, channels, deep profiles, heavy plate |
| Operator skill | Low: the machine handles and positions the sheet | Higher: the operator handles every bend |
| Large panels | No lifting or flipping by the operator | Large sheets often need two people |
| Changeover | Mostly in the program | Tooling setups for different parts |
| Thick plate | Limited | Strong: RAGOS brakes go up to 640 tons |
Many shops run both: a panel bender for high-mix enclosure and panel work, and press brakes for brackets, channels and heavier parts. Feed either one with blanks from an HSG fiber laser.
Is a Panel Bender Right for You?
- A large share of your parts are 4-sided panels, boxes or covers
- Skilled press brake operators are hard to hire or keep
- You bend large, thin panels that are awkward to handle at a brake
- You want consistent flange dimensions from part to part with little setup
Send us drawings of your typical parts. We will check them against RAGOS AG and AGP capacities and recommend a panel bender, a press brake, or both.
RAGOS Panel Bender Specifications
RAGOS panel benders clamp the sheet, then rotate and position it automatically while upper and lower blades form each flange, upward, downward or flattened, without the operator flipping the part. Universal, auto-adapting tooling handles a wide range of box sizes without manual tool changes, so one operator can produce consistent cabinets, enclosures and panels from the first part.
| Model | Max bending length | CNC axes | Processing speed | Repeatability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AG-1000 | 1,000 mm | 8 (3 bending, 3 feeding, 2 positioning) | Up to 200 mm/s | ±0.01 mm |
| AG-1500 | 1,500 mm | 11 (6 bending, 3 feeding, 2 positioning) | Up to 200 mm/s | ±0.01 mm |
| AGP-1500 | 1,500 mm | 13 standard (up to 14 custom) | Up to 200 mm/s | ±0.01 mm |
- Control: Star300-LGx CNC with a 17" touch-screen display
- Drive: servo-driven hydraulic pump. RAGOS rates AGP-series energy savings at over 50% compared with conventional drives.
- Build: cast frame (QT500-7 / HT300) with HIWIN, Yintai or TBI guide rails and ball screws
- Automation: manual loading is standard, with automatic loading and unloading available
- Typical parts: electrical cabinets and enclosures, HVAC housings and covers, appliance panels, metal furniture, racks and shelving, and elevator doors and panels
Larger AGP-2000, AGP-2500 and AGP-3200 models are available. Contact us for full specifications, including sheet thickness capacity by material.
Why Buy RAGOS Through Tube Form Solutions
- Applications engineering: send us your part drawings and we will recommend the right machine, tonnage, bending length and tooling.
- Installation and training: on-site setup and operator training so you are making good parts quickly.
- Service and parts: technical support, preventive maintenance and spare parts from a U.S. team.
- Financing: flexible machine leasing with fast credit decisions.
- Complete sheet metal cells: pair RAGOS bending with HSG fiber laser cutting and laser automation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Panel Benders
What is a panel bender?
An automatic sheet metal bending center that clamps a sheet, rotates and positions it, and forms up and down flanges on all four sides with upper and lower blades, with little operator handling.
What parts are panel benders best for?
Box-shaped and panel parts such as electrical cabinets and enclosures, HVAC housings and covers, appliance panels, doors, metal furniture, racks and shelving.
Should I choose a press brake or a panel bender?
Press brakes are the most flexible choice for varied parts and short runs. Panel benders shine on box-shaped parts such as cabinets, enclosures and panels, where they cut handling and operator skill requirements dramatically. We can review your part mix and recommend the better fit. See our RAGOS CNC press brakes and all-electric press brakes.
Where can I get full specifications?
Contact us for detailed spec sheets on any RAGOS model. We will match bending length and options to your parts and provide a quote.
Ready to Talk Panel Bending?
Send us drawings of your typical parts and we will recommend the right RAGOS machine.