World's Largest All- Electric Pipe Bender Ordered by US Shipbuilder

Unison has received an order from Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), the supplier of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and one of two shipbuilders of nuclear-powered submarines for the US Navy,
for an all-electric CNC machine capable of bending large-bore tubing and
piping up to eight inches in diameter (219mm OD). The machine will be the
first of its type ever built, extending the shipbuilder's range of
precision software-controlled bending facilities to include fabrication of
larger diameter pipes that previously could only be bent on very high
torque hydraulic machines. Unison believes that it will be the largest and
most sophisticated all-electric pipe bender ever designed.

NNS, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII), has more than
six years of experience using Unison's all-electric tube benders. The
shipbuilder first began using this technology in 2007, when it took
delivery of three Unison machines to help fabricate tubing and piping
systems for the Ford-class aircraft carriers that were then about to enter
production. The first of this new generation of carriers - Gerald R. Ford
(CVN 78) - is nearing structural completion.

All-electric benders offer numerous advantages over the type of
hydraulically powered machines traditionally used in heavy industries such
as shipbuilding. Their precision servomotor-based motion control means
that they can be configured automatically using parts data downloaded from
the design database over a network, and are easy to operate and very
quiet.

The machine's bending axes are driven by closed-loop servomotors under
software control to facilitate fast setup and to provide accurate and
repeatable bending performance. This automated approach eliminates
operator error and the need to produce trial parts, and minimizes creation
of expensive scrap material. It also contributes significantly to
manufacturing flexibility and rapid changeover; this is especially
important in the shipyard working environment where many of the tube/pipe
components are fabricated as needed and often in batch sizes of just one.

Under the terms of the order from NNS, the new machine will be equipped
with Unison's unique laser-controlled spring-back measurement and
correction system. This ensures bending precision by automatically
compensating for the natural tendency of metal pipes and tubes to spring
back slightly after being bent - providing a tool that delivers
right-first-time manufacturing even when fabricating just one part.

According to Jim Saynor of Unison, "This latest order from Newport News
Shipbuilding highlights the flexibility of our bending machine control
technology. Through collaboration and the support of our partners in the
USA, Horn Machine Tools, we have gained a thorough understanding of the
needs of this prestigious shipbuilder, and have helped and advised them on
numerous aspects of pipe and tube fabrication. Our software-based approach
to bending control provides a fully scalable solution that can easily be
extended to large diameter pipes, such as this order for an 8-inch
machine."

The new Unison 8-inch machine is scheduled to be completed in Q4, 2013.