When it comes to conduit benders, there are typically four types of bending machines you can utilize:

• Handheld/manual benders
• Mechanical benders
• Hydraulic benders
• Electric benders

However, when deciding on the type of conduit bender you need, you need to consider other factors, such as accuracy, control, energy efficiency, speed, and batch bending capabilities. Out of all the conduit benders listed above, an electric conduit bender is perhaps the most suitable option that meets all the bending factors you might need, especially when working with rigid conduits.

Hence, here are three reasons why you should opt for an electric conduit bender when working with rigid conduits made of metal.

Better Accuracy

One of the primary benefits of utilizing electric benders for rigid conduit bending is that they provide better accuracy than mechanical and hydraulic benders. Typically, when working with rigid conduits made from tough materials, such as aluminum and coppers, you need the highest level of precision to ensure you do not damage the conduit. 

Remember, if you damage a conduit during the bending process, your client will be forced to buy additional conduits to replace the damaged one, forcing them to spend more money. If you happen to damage several conduits, then your reputation for providing quality conduit bending services will get tarnished.

To avoid such a scenario, it is advisable to invest in an electric conduit bender. Electric conduit benders come with electronic control systems. The electronic control system allows you to calibrate the bend angles with pinpoint precision to ensure precise bending.

Additionally, some electric conduit benders have additional 3D software embedded in their electronic control system. The 3D features enhance the level of bending accuracy by providing:

• 3D views of the bending process
• Anti-collision simulation
• Spring back calculations and compensation

As far as accuracy is concerned, an electric conduit bender is your best bet when dealing with rigid conduits.

Faster Batch Production

As previously mentioned, electric conduit benders have a programmable electronic control system. The system enables you set the electric bender at a fixed calibration so that you do not need to recalibrate the bender every time.

When dealing with a batch order of rigid conduits, mechanical and hydraulic benders need to get recalibrated with every batch of conduits you bend. Thus, in most cases, you have to readjust the bending shoes and reset the angles before you can start a new batch. The constant adjustment usually wastes a lot of time. As a result, when using a mechanical or hydraulic bender, batch production time gets significantly extended.

However, because you do not usually need to recalibrate an electric bender, you can bend several batches of rigid conduit in less time than it would take a mechanical or hydraulic bender to do the same. Hence, an electric conduit bender can help improve productivity by reducing the time taken to produce bent batches of rigid electric conduits.

Minimizing Human Error and Wastage

When utilizing other types of conduit benders, there is a lot of wasted conduits due to human error. For instance, when using a manual conduit bender, the accuracy of the bending process significantly relies on the bending machine's operator. As a result, human error is a critical factor that leads to mistakes and damage that result in wasted conduit.

However, when you utilize an electric conduit bender, the embedded electronic control system minimizes human error. Once you have programmed the desired calibration using the electronic control system, no further human interaction is required during the bending process.

Additionally, the embedded 3D bending software provides you with a 3D preview of the set calibration to ensure that it matches your desired results. Hence, there are minimal chances of wasting conduits due to human error.