Thread: Any plans for a sheet metal bender?

hey guys i checked the sticky thread but only found a very technical sheet metal bender, are there any easy to make sheet metal benders that will bend 3-4mm aluminium plate/sheet?

How wide? I hope you're not thinking of anything over say 300mm.

Stuart

Originally Posted by Stustoys

How wide? I hope you're not thinking of anything over say 300mm.

Stuart

hey stuart, i need to bend a length from 500-600mm long im thinking of building a rectangle shaped box than weld on both ends

3-4mm sheet is not sheetmetal - it's PLATE. You will need a press brake to bend more than 300mm or so. It will take several tons for 500-600mm to bend. There are tables on the net that can show you how much force is actually required. I'm guessing it'll take around a 20 ton press.....

Just to give you an idea what you are dealing with. Air bending 3mm would take 13.5 tons per meter, 4mm 18 tons a meter. and thats with a Vee = 8 x T.
I'm not award of a direct coversion to folding and I dont recall trying to fold 3mm over 600mm by hand, but I folded plenty of 3mm over 150mm and that was bad enough even in a real folder.


Stuart

p.s. I should add those numbers are for soft Aluminium....... heat treaded and/or alloys could more than double those numbers

bummer guys not what i wanted to hear, , i do have most of a sheet of 5005 1.6mm but i find it hard to weld, will the ebay sheet metal benders bend a piece 500-600mm wide?

Not saying you cant make one. Just letting you know its not going to be something you can knock up in an afternoon with a couple of old bolts and some scraps of angle iron. For starters I'd think it will need to be bolted to the floor.

You mean the bench top ones? I doubt it, *edit* you mean would they fold 1.6mm? maybe. got a link?

Have a look here
Manual Panbrakes | machineryhouse.com.au
You're after something "along the lines of" the largest one one that page. Now it wouldnt need to be exactly the same that as I doubt you're going to need to use it as often and you only need half the width, but you will still need the same sort of leverage(in fact I think I'd like to see someone fold 2mmMS full length in that).

Stuart

the guy below is bending 3mm checker plate aluminium i cant see 1.6mm being any harder? i was thinking of copying his design too
Homemade Bending Tool/sheet metal brake - YouTube

I wonder if he is using the total thickness when he says 3mm but even so. I want one!

Must be getting old!

Stuart

Wasn't there pressbrake plans somewhere on the forum? I seem to remember a few guys making them not ling after I joined the forum......sorry thats about all I have.

Ew

Hi Ewan

Originally Posted by Ueee

Wasn't there pressbrake plans somewhere on the forum

There are, I think they will be the ones gazza has seen already, but incase anyone else is looking

http://www.woodworkforums.com/f65/ma...rs-home-45792/

Stuart

Originally Posted by Stustoys

Hi Ewan

There are, I think they will be the ones gazza has seen already, but incase anyone else is looking

http://www.woodworkforums.com/f65/ma...rs-home-45792/

Stuart

That's the one. Why not just beef it up a bit? Some adjustable triangular bracing on the moving arm and heavyer steel and should be fine. I think it would also be more useful down the track than the one in the utube clip.

Ew

Sorry gazza, just read your first post again.....I guess if you want to go with something simple then the utube one might be the go. I have had it in my mind to find that bender Stuart linked and make one eventually.

I must admit I'm a little staggered that utube folder works at all. I can only assume it wont last long* or people have been making folders way to big for years!

Stuart

*long in the production sense.

I recently looked at folders at Hairy Forbes. I was very impressed by the size and strength in the sections that do all the work. But now I know why! Forces involved in bending soon get up there.....

I had been interested in a folding machine. From a home made jobbie I can't decide if it's better to make one to fit in an existing hydraulic press with a V die or to make a bender as shown in the you tube video. Either way, I can't see them lasting long as I would be making the fingers or the die and knife parts out of mild steel. Surely it would not take long to deform over time and use?

Simon

Simon, it's a matter of proportion as much as anything. I have a 3ft folder (with fingers so I guess it is a pan brake) that is rated to something like 1.2mm thick. The fingers are roughly 20mm thick to cope with the bending load - however, they are MS. As I think it was Chris that pointed it it out, Young's modulus does not change much what ever steel you use.
This thing is heavily built. It is fabricated but solid - I can throw up a few photos and dimensions if people are interested just so the proportions can be appreciated.

Folders are usually rated in terms of the thickness steel they can fold and the rule of thumb is that you can fold twice the thickness of Al, and half the thickness of stainless as you can the rated 'plain' steel. However, bear in mind that fold material you need it to get to yield, so a high strength steel will take more force than a soft steel. S/S derates a folder because it work hardens.

Michael