Mandrel Pipe Bending of Stainless Steel Bollards


A bollard is one or a series of posts that prevents vehicles from entering certain areas. A bollard can come in many different styles depending on its usage and/or the customer’s preference.  One of the most common curved bollard shapes is the flat-back-U design.  These would frequently be placed at gas stations to prevent cars from running into the pumping stations. Most of the time these bollards are painted bright colors.  However, if you are going for a more refined look stainless steel bollards are the answer.

Mandrel pipe bending is used to create most of the bollard structures. To provide maximum protection the horizontal length is met at each end with 90 degree bends with very tight radii. Bending like this requires using an internal support, or mandrel, to ensure the pipe does not distort, crush, or otherwise deform. Some of the most common sizes for bollards are 4, 5 and 6 inch pipe.  Compared to the brightly colored carbon steel bollards, stainless steel bollards can add a sophisticated look to any building or parking lot. When using stainless, there are many options on the finish the customer can choose. Starting with the standard 2B mill-finish ranging all the way to a mirrored, or #8 finish. With the rolling technology available today, a company experienced in pipe bending can produce these parts with little or no effect on the finish.

This becomes a value-added service for customers seeking polished pipe bollards, since it reduces the amount of fabrication time needed after bending.  It is easier, and faster, to have the material polished prior to the bending process while it is still straight.  Waiting to polish the material until after it is curved requires additional labor hours and added difficulty in working around the curved sections.  By pre-polishing the pipe bollards, a customer should only need minor touch-up work to provide an elegant finished product for installation.

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