Henry Majamäki (Nestepaine), Marko Tuominiemi (Fredko) and Mika Seppelvirta (Nestepaine) present a tube bent with the BLM E‑Turn35 tube bending automation system.
The new BLM E‑Turn35 tube bending machine at Nestepaine Oy’s tube bending center in Seinäjoki brings increased speed, flexibility and capacity to production. The machine delivered by Fredko can automatically process a tube from loading to a fully bent part and enables geometries that the previous machine base could not achieve. The effects of the investment are already visible as new work and new customer relationships.
Nestepaine Oy’s Seinäjoki unit, part of the Etola Group, focuses on tube production. The production serves both domestic and international machine and equipment manufacturers, but a key strength is the ability to respond to individual and rapidly changing needs.
The diameters of the tubes produced vary between 5 and 42 millimetres. The material range includes black steel, galvanized steel, acid‑resistant steel and copper. The majority of production consists of galvanized hydraulic tubing. Batch sizes range from single pieces to project‑specific series of thousands. A typical batch size is around 20–100 pieces, but the production also includes many very small batches.
“Our strength is flexibility and customizability. We can manufacture single pieces, but equally industrial series. A typical project may include, for example, 20 different products, each produced in only a few units,” explains Production Manager Mika Seppelvirta.
The BLM E‑Turn35’s 360‑degree rotating bending head and double‑sided bending enable the production of complex tube geometries. In addition, the capability for variable bending radius opens new manufacturing possibilities.
BLM flagship machine automates the bending process
Nestepaine strengthened its machine base in summer 2025 with the BLM E‑Turn35 tube bending automation system delivered by Fredko. The machine has become the flagship of tube production in Seinäjoki. The investment aimed to modernize production and raise the level of automation alongside a machine base roughly ten years older.
A key feature of the E‑Turn35 is its advanced automation. The machine takes the tube blank from the loading station, processes and bends it, and unloads the finished part without the operator needing to touch the tube during the bending process. The loading station can be fed with approximately 50–100 tubes. “The operator does not need to touch the tube at any point during the bending process. In practice, we can talk about an automated cell,” says Foreman Henry Majamäki.
The machine can hold six tool sets simultaneously, whereas Nestepaine’s older machines could hold two. Thanks to quick‑change plates, tool changes are fast. On a traditional machine, changing tools may take 10–15 minutes, while three tools on the E‑Turn35 can be changed in just a few minutes.
“Fast tool changes are a significant advantage for us, especially in small‑batch production. When the product changes often, a tool change of just a few minutes brings clear efficiency to production,” Majamäki notes.
New geometries into production
Speed alone did not determine the machine selection. Nestepaine also wanted technical performance that would expand the range of tubes that can be manufactured.
The E‑Turn35’s 360‑degree rotating bending head and double‑sided bending enable the production of complex tube geometries. In addition, the variable bending radius opens new manufacturing possibilities. Geometries that could not be produced with the previous machine base can now be manufactured automatically.
“We wanted double‑sided bending and a 360‑degree bending head. Thanks to these and the variable radius, we can now produce extremely demanding tube geometries that could not be manufactured with the old machines,” says Seppelvirta.
Thanks to BLM, the straight tube sections required between bends have been shortened. The new technology has also brought benefits in material usage. “Scrap pieces have been practically eliminated in certain jobs. This results in direct material savings, and at the same time one work phase is removed because the tube no longer needs to be cut between bends,” Seppelvirta explains.
3D scanning brings even old tubes into digital productionantoon
Nestepaine’s overall production is complemented by three other CNC‑controlled tube bending machines, sawing lines, pre‑assembly of fittings and modern 3D scanning technology.
The customer does not always need a ready CAD model. An existing tube can be scanned and digitized, after which a new part is manufactured based on the model. The method is useful, for example, in repair work. “A customer can bring us a tube removed from the boom of an excavator. We scan it in 3D and can manufacture a new tube based on the model. The starting point can also be a wire model,” Majamäki describes.
Nestepaine’s 3D capability increased further with the new bending machine, as BLM Group’s new VGPNext programming software allows part programs to be created in the office and run with a true bending simulation that fully corresponds to the real machine environment.
Four suppliers compared
In acquiring the tube bending automation system, Nestepaine evaluated solutions from four different suppliers. “BLM’s features impressed us. Both the mechanical side and the automation and programming matched what we were looking for – the price‑quality ratio was excellent. Based on our assessment, this is a machine at market‑leader level,” say Seppelvirta and Majamäki.
The supplier’s role was also important in the investment decision. Fredko’s sales representative Marko Tuominiemi was involved in the project, and the cooperation received praise from Nestepaine. “Working with Marko and Fredko has been pleasant and smooth. We have received support from Fredko at various stages of the acquisition and commissioning. BLM’s organization also provides strong technical support, and the machine training was excellent,” Seppelvirta and Majamäki explain.
It was also important for Nestepaine to find a partner whose service, technical support and after‑sales operations work in Finland. “When acquiring a machine like this, the partner must be one whose after‑sales support works. Fredko has local service, and for us Fredko is a reliable partner,” Seppelvirta summarizes.
The investment brought new work
The most significant impact of the new machine is visible not only in production but also at the customer interface. According to Nestepaine, news of the development of tube production in Seinäjoki has spread among customers, and the capacity enabled by the E‑Turn35 has brought new work and new customer relationships. “There has been plenty of work for the new machine. Thanks to BLM, we have gained new jobs and new customers. The workload has increased so much that we have even considered new recruitments,” Majamäki says.
Development in Seinäjoki will not stop here. Nestepaine wants to increase the share of series production, as the benefits of automated material flow can be utilized particularly effectively in larger series. At the same time, flexibility remains a competitive advantage: production must be able to manufacture both a single spare‑part tube and an industrial series of thousands of components.
“We already have new investments in mind and a strong focus on the future. The tube side has grown and developed continuously, and we want to strengthen it further. One idea for the next step is to develop bending capacity for stronger material thicknesses,” Seppelvirta and Majamäki conclude.
BLM E‑Turn35 encapsulates the direction in which Nestepaine’s tube bending center in Seinäjoki is being developed: more automation, faster product changes, more demanding geometries and better material efficiency – without compromising the ability to manufacture even a single customized tube for the customer.
Nestepaine Oy Mika Seppelvirta, Production Manager tel. +358 40 731 6868
Henry Majamäki, Foreman tel. +358 40 654 0184
Alihankinta Trade Fair, stand A 542
