Bending Sheet Metal Into A Box

A flat version of your box.

Bending sheet metal into a box.

This will create a lip. Insert the first edge into a bending brake. Typically the upper beam or punch holder will get in the way of very deep boxes. I have a graph paper drawing in the pics below but its not for this box 2 trace your template on to your piece of sheet metal as pictured i suggest 20 22 gauge steel 3 cut your piece into the same shape as template.

How to bend sheet metal without a brake in 4 different methods with minimal or homemade tools. Bending sheet metal by hand is a manageable task if the piece of sheet metal is small and thin enough to handle. Make sure that it is lined up with the line you measured earlier. Use the corner notcher to cut out any right angles.

Once all of the squares are cut out you ll be left with the four flaps. A brake is a device that allows you to bend a piece of sheet metal at a particular angle. This is done through the application of force on a workpiece. Bending is a manufacturing process that produces a v shape u shape or channel shape along a straight axis in ductile materials most commonly sheet metal.

Also known as press braking flanging die bending folding and edging this method is used to deform a material to an angular shape. Commonly used equipment include box and pan brakes brake presses and other specialized machine presses typical products that are made like this are boxes such as electrical enclosures and rectangular ductwork. Box bending can be rather tricky with sheet metal because of the geometry of a press brake. You ll be bending over the edges of these flaps to make smooth edges for the top of the box.

How to bend sheet metal without a brake. The force must exceed the material s yield strength to achieve a plastic deformation. Metal shops have brakes mounted at different angles with automated braking arms however it is possible to bend sheet metal at home without the use of a brake. Bend the top edges over.

Bend the edge 90. 1 first you want to make an expanded template for your box out of cardboard paper etc. When bending with large returns there are a few tricks outside of just tooling selection.