BendPak 1302BAS: three buttons, on purpose

There is a version of shop automation that makes a machine harder to use. Menus, stored profiles and modes are excellent when one person owns the machine and terrible when four people share it and the last one left it in an unexpected state. The 1302BAS answers that with a three-button control: bend, retract, index. That is the whole interface, and it is a deliberate design position rather than a cost saving.

Underneath it is a serious press — 60,000 lbs. (27,216 kg) of top cylinder force through a welded steel frame — but the part an operator touches is three buttons and a readout.

What semi-automatic actually means here

The operator starts the bend, retracts the ram and indexes to the next section, each with its own button, while a digital readout gives live bend depth so an overbend can be seen coming rather than discovered afterwards. Repeat and mirrored bends get faster because the depth is known, not because the machine has memorised anything. A remote foot control extends the same commands to wherever the operator is standing, which on a long section is not at the panel — it is at the far end of the tube, holding it.

The practical consequence is that anyone competent can run it after a short handover, and there is no stored state for the previous shift to have left wrong.

The material limit is what decides which jobs you can take

Capacity is 3" (76 mm) outside diameter at wall thicknesses up to 0.095 inches. Those two figures together, not the tonnage, are what tell you whether a job is in scope. Bending radius runs from 3.3" (89 mm) at the tightest to 5" (127 mm) at the widest, so a tight turn around a crossmember and a long gentle sweep are both available without changing machines. The 60,000 lbs. of cylinder force exists so that heavier-walled tube inside that range bends rather than kinks — force is what stops the wall collapsing on the inside of the radius.

Frame, tolerance and the standard it is built to

The structure is welded steel tube in 6" x 6" section with 3/8" wall. Bending heads and tooling interfaces are precision ground to within .002", which is what keeps runout down and repeat bends consistent. Hydraulic cylinders are commercial grade with chrome-moly shafts conforming to ANSI 92.2 — that is a materials and manufacturing standard for the shafts, not a safety certification of the machine, and it should be read as exactly that and no more. The control assembly is enclosed against swarf, coolant and dust, and NEMA-rated switchgear with overload relays cuts supply on an over-current event.

Perfect for

• Shops where several technicians share one machine and consistency matters more than features.
• Exhaust fabrication, structural tubing and roll cage work.
• Industrial maintenance departments that bend pipe occasionally and need it to be simple each time.
• Training environments and apprentice shops.
• Anyone replacing a manual bender who wants assistance without a learning curve.

What is in the package, and the one thing to check

• The 1302BAS bender with three-button semi-automatic control and remote foot control.
• Quick-release bending and finishing dies with twist-lock mounting.
• Two rear end-finishing units, a clampless swager, an internal expander and a drop-in collar.
• Integrated power-relief control valve, pressure gauges, NEMA-rated switch box, industrial casters and tool trays.

Confirm which dies ship with your order before you buy. The published descriptions of the tooling differ: the product title presents metric tooling as part of the package, while the description says the machine is built to accept standard 302 die tooling and optional metric tooling kits. Included and available are not the same thing and the difference is a real cost. Ask us to list the exact dies shipping with your order, in writing, before you buy.

Confirm the electrical supply

The specification table for this listing gives the motor as 5 HP at 208-460 VAC, 50 Hz, 3 PH. A second published figure for the same motor describes a single-phase unit at the other mains frequency. Those are not interchangeable, and the supply in your shop is what decides which one you need. Tell us the supply available in your shop and ask us to state the configuration in writing on the order — and do not have an electrician quote from this page.

Related and smaller: the dimensions table gives its second and third rows the same heading, "Depth", against 64" (1,626 mm) and 26" (660 mm). We have left the 26" figure without an axis rather than guess at one. Ask if you need the footprint exactly.

Delivery and siting

Freight to the lower 48 states, free of charge. The machine weighs 1,362 lbs. and ships crated at 70" x 32" x 47" (1,778 mm x 812 mm x 1,206 mm). Unloading is the receiver's responsibility — a forklift rated for that crate, or terminal collection from the carrier, which is often easier because the terminal is already equipped for it. Residential delivery carries a residential fee, applied at checkout when selected. On site, it stands about 41" (1,041 mm) across the front with industrial casters for repositioning, and it needs clear access at the rear where the end-finishing units are worked.

Inspect before signing: crate impact, bent tooling, cracked gauges, damaged control housings, oil traces. Record anything on the bill of lading with the driver present and photograph it. Signing clean hands the carrier the argument.

Warranty

There is a written BendPak warranty document for this equipment and we keep the current copy on file; ask for it before ordering if the terms matter. The usual hydraulic caution applies: raise the claim before opening anything. A cylinder, pump or control enclosure that has been dismantled first is normally treated as modified, and cover generally goes with it. Photograph the fault, note the serial number, call us first.