Bend Radius Sheet Metal Rule Thumb

Use this document to choose values that are both manufacturable and meet your needs.

Bend radius sheet metal rule thumb.

Now multiply that answer by the plate thickness. Also known as press braking flanging die bending folding and edging this method is used to deform a material to an angular shape. 4 0 5 2. Note that this is just a rule of thumb.

Finding the true minimum bend radius for steel or aluminum plate requires a little research. Bend radii minimum bend sizes. The problem with bending too tightly. When using a punch press the diameter of a hole should always be equal to that of your tooling and you should never use a tool who s diameter is less than that of the material s thickness.

If the material is 0 5 in. So in this case the minimum inside bend radius is 2 times the material thickness. Never design a hole smaller than 040 diameter unless laser cutting. Usually the preferred distance between holes and a bend is 1 5 times the sheet.

Each and every bend in a piece of sheet metal has a certain minimum internal radius that needs to be taken into account when planning the design of a sheet metal form. Minimum sheet metal bending radius. If you re bending 0 020 thick material use a 0 020 radius. This value will vary by grade.

2 5 material thickness bend radius. If the steel has a tensile reduction value of 10 percent divide 50 by that value. There s a rule of thumb to determine a steel s minimum bend radius and this generally works for aluminum too. The more ductile the sheet metal the.

This is done through the application of force on a workpiece. The inside bend radius should be equal to the thickness of the material that you re forming. It is most economical to use a single bend radius throughout the design but if necessary you can utilize multiple radii. Also spaces between pierced holes and bends should accommodate the bend radius h and be far enough from the bend.

If a piece of material is bent too tightly problems can occur. Greg paulsen is director of applications engineering at xometry. Divide 50 by the material s tensile reduction percentage as specified by your supplier. In other words if you re bending 1 8 sheet use a tool with a 1 8 radius to form the inside of the bend.

Relief cuts for bends must be at least one sheet s thickness in width and be longer than the bend radius. Here s a good rule of thumb for most materials. The force must exceed the material s yield strength to achieve a plastic deformation. The most common problem with bending a piece of sheet metal too tightly is.

Minimum sheet metal bend radius depends on the selection of tool and the process. The sheet metal design rule of thumb in this case is.