What the CB-700 Does — and What It Does Not Do
The drive cleat bender CB-700 is a single-purpose machine: it bends the drive cleat profile on galvanized strip, all day, without changeover. Drive cleats are the small formed clips that lock the transverse joint between two rectangular duct sections — each section end carries a formed pocket, the cleat slips over both, and the joint is mechanical: no rivets, no welding, no sealant at the clip. A shop that makes its own cleats either bends them on whatever brake happens to be free, or runs a machine set up for nothing else. The CB-700 is the second option, at the lowest price in the cleat machine family.
Knowing what it does not do matters as much. The CB-700 does not form S-slips — that profile belongs to an S and drive machine or a dedicated S-cleat former. It does not cut the strip: cleat stock is sheared to width and length upstream, and cutting accuracy decides whether the cleat seats. And it does not flange the duct itself — the pockets the cleat engages are formed by the duct line, a TDF folder, or a Pittsburgh lockformer. Buy the CB-700 for the clip, and make sure the machines that feed it, and that use its output, are already in place.
CB-700 Specification
| Parameter | Drive Cleat Bender CB-700 |
|---|---|
| Role | Dedicated drive cleat (drive clip) forming |
| Profile | Drive cleat only |
| Material thickness | 0.5–1.2 mm galvanized (about 24–18 ga) |
| Maximum workpiece width | 700 mm |
| Operation | Manual (lever) or electric — build option |
| Drive power | 0.55 kW |
| Frame | Compact bench design, welded steel |
| Control | Electric configuration listed with PLC touchscreen; the manual build is lever-operated (build dependent) |
| Certification / warranty | CE / 2 years |
| Typical price | About USD 1,300 FOB |
Read the table as three buying constraints. Gauge: 0.5–1.2 mm covers the standard commercial range — 24 ga light connector stock through 18 ga heavy duct work — and nothing above it; sustained 16 ga belongs to a different machine class. Width: the 700 mm figure is the maximum workpiece width the frame accepts; it covers every standard drive cleat strip width with headroom, and it lets the machine double for wider connector profiles. Confirm on the quotation whether the published width refers to bend length or strip width, because the two are not the same number. Power: 0.55 kW runs on an ordinary shop supply — but confirm voltage and phase before ordering, exactly as with any machine.
How a Cleat Bender Works: Clamp, Bend, Repeat
The CB-700 is a bending machine, not a roll former. The cycle is the press-brake cycle: the strip is positioned against a back gauge that sets the bend line, a clamping beam secures it, and the bending beam applies controlled force through the profile. Release, reposition, repeat. That distinction matters when you compare it with the S and drive machine, which forms continuously at 12 m/min through a series of rollers — the CB-700 makes one bend per cycle and makes it fast.
The speed argument is the whole economic case. A hand brake takes two to three minutes per bend when the operator is setting up, checking, and adjusting for each piece; a dedicated, powered bender turns the same bend in five to ten seconds. Multiplied across a week of cleat production, that gap is the difference between cleats being nearly free and cleats being expensive.
The three variables that decide cleat quality
None of them is machine power. First, strip width: cleat fit depends on it, and coil-to-coil variation is wider than most shops assume — measure the first piece of every new coil and record supplier and width together. Second, a positive length stop: free-hand positioning produces variable cleat lengths, and variable length is the most common cause of assembly difficulty on site. Fit a stop, seat every piece against it, and check the stop weekly. Third, deburred ends: a burr on the strip end prevents the cleat seating fully, and the fault looks like a forming problem when it is really a cutting problem — deburr before forming and check the shear blade.
CB-700 vs Pan Brake vs S and Drive Machine
| Machine | Profiles | Cycle | Power | Price band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB-700 (this machine) | Drive cleat only | Bend cycle, 5–10 s per bend | 0.55 kW | ~USD 1,300 |
| Pan brake 2500 mm | General straight folding | Re-set for cleats each time | Larger frame | Mid |
| S and drive machine | S-slip + drive cleat | Continuous, 12 m/min | 1.1 kW | ~USD 4,200 |
| S-cleat former SA-12S | S-slip only | Continuous, 12 m/min | 1.1 kW | ~USD 3,100 |
The pattern: dedicated machines buy consistency and per-piece speed; general machines buy flexibility. The CB-700 is the cheapest way to take cleats off the critical path when drive cleats are a standing product, and it is the wrong buy when they are an occasional job on a brake that has other work to do.
When a Dedicated Bender Pays for Itself
The manufacturer's own framing: improvising on a brake is rational at low volume, and a dedicated bender typically pays back within a few months at 200+ cleats a week. Run the arithmetic on your own numbers before ordering. At 200 cleats a week and two minutes saved per cleat, the machine returns roughly 6.7 hours of labor a week; at a loaded labor rate of USD 25 per hour that is about USD 170 a week, and a USD 1,300 machine pays back in under two months. Below that volume the saving shrinks, and the honest answer may be to keep using the brake.
Two operational notes. A single-operator machine is a single point of failure — cross-training costs an hour and removes it. And once the machine is set, batch production is cheap: make cleats in batches rather than one at a time, because the machine is set and waiting either way.
Installation and Acceptance Checklist
- Bench level and bolted; 0.55 kW drive matched to your supply (voltage and phase as ordered).
- Trial on micrometer-verified scrap of every gauge you run, at your coating weight — not the supplier's demo stock.
- One recorded setting per gauge, on a card at the machine; lock and mark every adjustment.
- Positive length stop fitted; every piece seated against it; weekly stop check.
- Dry-fit finished cleats against a mating duct section — never judge fit by eye.
- Deburr cut ends before forming; inspect shear blade condition.
- CE documentation and 2-year warranty terms in writing.
- Spare tooling availability and lead time confirmed before the balance payment.
Common Faults and What They Actually Mean
On a dedicated machine with locked settings, faults are almost always stock or tooling wear rather than adjustment — check the strip before you touch the machine.
| Symptom | Most likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Cleat will not seat on the duct | Strip width out of tolerance | Measure width on the first piece of each coil; check the shear blade — often a new coil or a worn blade |
| Cleat length varies | No positive stop, or the stop has moved | Fit a positive stop; seat every piece against it; check the stop weekly |
| Burr prevents seating | Cut ends not deburred | Deburr before forming; inspect the shear blade — a worn blade is usually the root cause |
| Profile slowly changes over months | Tooling wear | Dry-fit weekly against a mating section; replace tooling on measurable drift; keep a spare set |
| Adjustment found to have moved | Not locked after the original set-up | Lock every adjustment and mark the position so drift is visible at a glance |
| Machine jams on thicker stock | Material above the specified gauge | Verify thickness with a micrometer; never force thicker stock through the tooling |
FAQ
Can we just keep making cleats on the shop brake?
At low volume, yes — and it is the rational choice. The dedicated machine earns its price when drive cleats are a standing product rather than an occasional job; the crossover the manufacturer points to is roughly 200 cleats a week, driven almost entirely by set-up time saved rather than by bend speed alone.
What material thickness does the CB-700 handle?
0.5–1.2 mm galvanized steel — about 24 ga to 18 ga. Within that range it will also bend stainless and aluminum, but set and record a separate adjustment per material; aluminum marks more readily and stainless work-hardens at the bend.
Does it form S-slips as well?
No. The CB-700 is a drive-cleat machine. If your assembly system uses S-slips too, look at an S and drive machine, which forms both profiles, or a dedicated S-cleat former such as the SA-12S.
What does the 700 mm width mean?
It is the maximum workpiece width the frame accepts — generous headroom over standard drive cleat strip widths, and enough to double the machine for wider connector profiles. Ask the supplier to confirm on the quotation whether the dimension refers to bend length or strip width before you plan strip cutting around it.
Manual or electric — which should we order?
Both builds are offered. The electric configuration is the throughput answer: powered bending at five to ten seconds per bend against two to three minutes on a hand brake. The manual build suits shops making cleats in small batches where the saving does not yet justify the drive — and it works as the stepping stone, with the electric configuration as the upgrade path.