Bending Steel Sheet Metal

The following illustration shows the equation calculation for determining the bend allowance when forming sheet metal.

Bending steel sheet metal.

Bending a brittle metal beyond its limits could cause the metal to snap and break. Mild steel 2 12 ga. 0 017453 x 90 x 0 020 0 33 x 0 024 0 0438558984 inch bend allowance keep in mind that some metals are more brittle than others. Determine your minimum bend by measuring the distance from your closest feature i e.

Mild steel 1 brake shear slip roll 1 metal forming 1. If you have any questions or want to discuss your design contact us. Sheet metal bending methods design tips k factor bending is one of the most common sheet metal fabrication operations. A cutout or the edge of your flange to your bend.

This is done through the application of force on a workpiece. Stainless steel 1 20 ga. For most applications with stainless steel or aluminum you can get away with a zero radius bend on anything under 0 050 thick. 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.

Hot metal forming offers tighter bend radii in high carbon steel in degrees that might break the material in cold forming. This page also includes a link to a on line sheet metal bend allowance calculator. Also known as press braking flanging die bending folding and edging this method is used to deform a material to an angular shape. If you re bending 0 020 thick material use a 0 020 radius.

Clamping your sheet metal to the straightedge is a must. Stainless steel 1 14 ga. Choose a bend radius that matches your minimum bend. The process delivers highly accurate forming maintenance of thickness and tremendous finished component strength.

Mild steel 1 16 ga. Otherwise the sheet metal is almost certain to shift as you bend it resulting in a bad bend. To clamp efficiently lay your sheet metal on the top surface of your straightedge with the drawn line perfectly aligned with the outside edge of the sheet metal.