Sheet Metal Bending
XYC Prototype: Your Trustworthy Sheet Metal Bending Manufacturer!
Shenzhen Xie Yicheng Machinery Equipment Co., Ltd. is a professional processing prototypes equipment and service provider. Our company was established in 1997 and is located in Shenzhen, China, mainly aiming to markets such as the United States, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and India. We provide CNC processing, sheet metal bending, 3D, injection molding and other services, and use a variety of industrial-grade materials to build functional components in the automotive, medical, and consumer electronics fields.
Rich Experienced
With over 25 years of production experience, our team specializes in 3D printing, CNC machining, injection molding, and sheet metal fabrication to meet virtually any complex geometry part or finish requirement.
Well Equipped
Our production center is equipped with multi-axis CNC milling machines, CNC engraving machines, wire cutting machines, hand grinders, surface grinders and other equipment. We can quickly process complex parts for prototypes, small batches or high-volume production.
Quality Assurance
We conduct dimensional and visual inspections of each product during and after production, and strictly implement ISO 9001, AS 9100, ISO 14001 and ISO TS16949 quality standards.
Customized Services
We provide customized services for our products, include its dimensions, materials, and support OEM and ODM orders.
Sheet metal bends are formed using metal bending. Metal bending is a process by which metal can be deformed when applying force to the subject, which causes it to bend at an angle and form the anticipated shape, which often results in it being in a ‘V’ or a ‘U’ shape. It is one of the most common practices in metal processing worldwide. While there are many variables that must be addressed when planning a sheet metal part design, there are some standard bending methods that are important to be aware of to ensure your next sheet metal fabrication project produces its intended result.
Features of Sheet Metal Bending
Wide Applications
Our custom sheet metal bending and piercing work is tailored to the needs of multiple industries, ranging from the energy, oil and gas and petrochemical industries to mining, construction and electrical applications.
Precise Specifications
We offer thicker or thinner gauges upon request with accuracy of +/- 0.010” for single plane or flat parts edge to edge, edge to hole and hole to hole features; +/- 0.030” for multi plane curved parts, curved Angle is +/- 1 degree.
Strict Inspection
Our sheet metal manufacturing process begins with flat sheet metal cut to specification, and each finished product is quality inspected on a proprietary imaging system to verify that the part is good and meets requirements.
Diverse Processing
Our team can handle anything from small prototyping jobs to large-scale production manufacturing of thick metal sheets, and also offer waterjet cutting services, laser cutting services and plasma cutting services.
Materials Work Well for Bending Sheet Metal
A bending machine cannot bend an elastic-plastic material. If attempted, it may also damage your machine. When selecting materials for sheet metal bending in the manufacturing process, special care must be taken. Let’s take a look at some of the best materials for sheet metal bending and forming.
The strongest anti-corrosive material is also the least expensive. Copper is used to produce high precision sheet metal bending. Copper is a tried-and-true material that is widely used in many metal bending industries for a variety of applications.
Stainless Steel
When the resulting product requires robustness and greater metal strength, stainless steel is the first material that comes to mind. To shape the product, stainless steel also necessitates using a high-power sheet metal bending machine.
Titanium
Titanium is a corrosion-resistant and high-strength material that is ideal for sheet metal bending techniques. If your product is medical or sporting equipment, titanium should be the most preferred material on your list.
Aluminum
Aluminum is commonly found in lightweight applications. Bending the aluminum material requires special care to avoid collapsing or cracking in the corners.
Carbon Steel
Carbon steel is one of the most versatile and durable materials for sheet metal fabrication. Because this material is recyclable, it will also help to reduce carbon footprints.
These are some of the best sheet metal bending materials. Among the materials mentioned above, carbon steel is the most widely used. Many other metals can be useful in the bending process. However, before finalizing the material, make sure to conduct thorough research.
Benefits of Sheet Metal Bending
Accuracy: Programmed laser cutters and CNC bending machines with high-quality software, as well as top-notch equipment, can produce accurate bends.
No tooling investment: The laser cutting and sheet metal bending processes don’t require specialised tooling, as common tools usually can produce the desired bends. This means limited tooling investment.
Speed of manufacture: Sheet metal parts can be produced fast, enabling big quantities of components to be produced in a short space of time.
Fewer parts required: Making a workpiece from one piece of material instead of multiple, through the use of joints, reduces time, errors, complexity, and failure points.
Less weight: There is a complex range of bends available. Strength can be achieved without the need for too much material. This reduces weight, which is an advantage for every step in the supply chain.
Lower costs: CNC cutting, laser cutting and bending cut down on the manual labour required, and parts can therefore be made by less-skilled workers, leading to lower-end costs.
Different Sheet Metal Bending Methods
V-bending
V-bending is the most common sheet metal bending method. As its name implies, the v-bending method employs a v-shaped die and a punch to bend metals at desired angles. The v-shaped punch forces the sheet metal workpiece into the “v-shaped” groove in the die, forming sheet metals with different bend angles. For example, you can achieve acute, obtuse, or 90° bend angles, depending on the v-shaped punch and die angle.
Air Bending
Air bending is quite similar to the V-bending method: it relies on v-shaped punch and die to bend sheet metals. However, unlike the conventional v-bending process, the punch in the air bending method does not force the sheet into the bottom of the cavity. Instead, it leaves space (or air) underneath the sheet, allowing more bend angle control than conventional v-bending. For instance, let’s say you have a 90° die and punch. With the air bending method, you can achieve bend angles anywhere between 90° and 180°. This method also ensures a more accurate result since it experiences less springbackㅡwhich describes the partial recovery of a bent sheet metal part to its geometry before bending force was applied. Springback is undesirable as it causes inaccurate bends.
Bottoming
Bottoming (or bottom bending) is a type of v-bending that also solves the springback challenge. It involves deforming the sheet metal in the bend region by applying additional force through the tip of the punch after completion of bending.
Like the air bending method, bottoming offers a precise bend angle control. However, it requires a higher tonnage press than bottom bending.
Wipe Bending
In the wipe bending method, the sheet metal is held against a wipe die by a pressure pad. The punch then forces against the edge of the sheet that extends beyond the die and pressure pad, causing it to bend over the end of the die. This method offers a good mechanical advantageㅡwhich means it allows you to apply less force to create desired bends (and bend angles). However, it might not be ideal for creating obtuse bend angles as you’d require a more complex piece of equipment capable of delivering horizontal force.
Roll Bending
The roll bending method allows you to bend sheet metals into rolls, tubes, cones, or curved shapes. This unique sheet metal forming process uses sets of rollers that feed (and bend) the metal stock to the desired curvature. Roll bending can form metal sheets into various cross-section profiles, consisting of several bending curves. It is especially useful for creating very long sheet metal parts with thicknesses ranging between 0.004 inches and 0.125 inches and widths of up to 20 inches. For example, you can create parts like panels, tracks, and shelving (typically used in buildings for lighting, roofing, and HVAC applications) using the roll bending machine.
Rotary Draw Bending
In rotary draw bending, the sheet metal is clamped to a rotating die and drawn around the die to form a geometry whose radius matches the desired bend radius. This method often employs an internal supporting mandrel to prevent wrinkling on the wall of the bent sheet metal. The rotary draw bending method offers a few advantages over other sheet metal bending types. For instance, it doesn’t scratch the metal’s surface, unlike the wipe bending and v-bending processes. In addition, it can bend materials into sharp corners with obtuse bend angles.
Process to Bend Sheet Metal
A variety of machines are available for bending sheet metal. Typically found in small machine shops, the most popular type of device is the press brake machine. It can be operated manually or with computer numerical control (CNC) and a hydraulic system. Both machines work on the same principles, but the operator’s experience varies. The following procedure focuses on how a CNC press brake machine operates:
Determine the Parameters of Design
Determine the design parameters, such as the force needed, the bend line (the place where the force is applied), and the sequence of bends (if there are any), before using the press brake for sheet metal. There’s also the decision of which die to use for the bends.
Set Up the Press Bending Brake
The CNC bender machine must be programmed with the calculated information to set up the press brake. Only then will it be able to determine the proper bend and the sequence to make the bends in the metal. The appropriate tool and die must be fastened to prepare the press and brake for bending.
Align the Part
Line up the metal about the die and tool. The metal sheet will be bent at the bend line by the operation of the machine.
Engage the Press Brake
Press the release button to apply the force parameters entered into the CNC press brake in the second step. The part can be taken out and prepared for the following stage of production after the press brake has bent the metal.
Sheet Metal Design Tips for Bending
When planning the bend of your sheet metal, there are several important design tips to keep in mind if you want to avoid experiencing a deformity in your sheet metal bends:
Uniform Wall Thickness
It’s imperative that your part designs have a uniform wall thickness throughout.
Slot and Hole Clearances
The space between any holes and the bend must be a minimum of 2.5 times the sheet metal thickness. For slots, more spacing is required. Slots need to be spaced a minimum of 4 times the sheet metal thickness from the edges of the bend. The reason for this spacing is that holes and slots will become deformed if they are located too close to a bend. Additionally, holes and slots should be spaced a minimum of 2 times the material thickness from the edge of the part if you want to avoid bulging.
Bend Radius
Bend radii are required to be at least equal to the thickness of the sheet metal. This requirement will prevent your sheet metal part from becoming deformed or even breaking. Additionally, you should keep your bend radii consistent to reduce costs. Moreover, all bends in one plane should be designed in the same direction in order to avoid part reorientation. Avoiding part reorientation will lower costs and reduce lead times for your project. One important factor to note is that you should avoid designing small bends in very thick parts because they are prone to inaccuracy.
Curls
One important rule of thumb is that the outside radius of curls needs to be a minimum of twice the thickness of the sheet metal. Moreover, the spacing of holes from curls must be a minimum of the curl radius added to the sheet metal thickness. Additionally, other bends should be spaced from the curl at a minimum of six times the sheet metal thickness added to the curl radius.
Countersink Depths and Clearances
In most settings, countersinks are added to sheet metal parts using hand tools. For this reason, it’s important to keep in mind that countersinks must be no deeper than 60% of the sheet metal thickness. Moreover, countersinks must be spaced at least 4 times the sheet metal thickness from an edge, 3 times from a bend, and 8 times from another countersink.
Hems
Hems are simply folds at the edges of parts to provide edges that are rounded. In fact, there are three hem types, each having its own set of design rules. For open hems, the inside diameter must be equal to the sheet metal thickness at a minimum because diameters that are too big will compromise circularity. Moreover, for a perfect bend the return length must be 4 times the sheet metal thickness. Similarly, teardrop hems must also have an inside diameter that is equal to the sheet metal thickness at a minimum. Additionally, the opening should be at least 25% of the sheet metal thickness and the run length must be a minimum of 4 times the sheet metal thickness following the radius.
Chamfered Sides
Simply put, chamfers on flanges are required to have ample room for bends to prevent parts from being deformed.
Successive Bends
Generally speaking, placing bends right next to each other should be avoided if at all possible. If bends are not adequately spaced out, it can be very difficult to fit parts that are already bent on the die. In cases where bends must be located close to each other, the length of the intermediate part must exceed the length of the flanges.
Tab and Notch Clearances
The distance between a bend and a notch must be a minimum of 3 times the sheet metal thickness added to the bend radius. Tabs are required to be the sheet metal thickness or 1 mm away from each other, whichever is greater.
Relief Cuts
Relief cuts are vital for preventing bulging and even tearing at bends. Relief cut widths must be equal or greater than the sheet metal thickness. Moreover, the length of relief cuts must be no longer than the bend radius.
Certificate Photo
Frequently Asked Questions of Sheet Metal Bending
Q: What is the purpose of a sheet metal bender?
Q: What is the basic of sheet bending?
Q: What is the difference between bending and forming sheet metal?
Q: What is the bend rule for sheet metal?
Q: Does bending sheet metal make it stronger?
Q: Is it easy to bend sheet metal?
Q: What are the disadvantages of sheet metal bender?
Can be labour intensive.
Custom tooling is required for specialized bending projects.
Bends need to be in a position on the sheet metal where there is enough material to fit into the equipment without slipping.
More items.
Q: What is the hardest metal to bend?
Q: What is the strongest bendable metal?
Q: How much does it cost to bend metal?
Q: Can you bend sheet metal by hand?
Q: Does sheet metal stretch when bent?
Q: What is it called when you bend sheet metal over on itself?
Q: What is the best steel for bending sheet metal?
Q: What is the best sheet material for bending?
Q: What metal bends but doesn't break?
Q: What metal can Metal benders not bend?
Q: What are the risks of being a sheet metal worker?
Q: What bends large sheet metal?
Q: What is the best tool for cutting sheet metal?
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