Metal Bending Service

There are a lot of ways to perform a job for a desirable outcome. Many of these techniques overlap in capabilities but each has its own specific use-cases as well. Also, they use different press brake tools.

V-bending – The most common metal folding method. The press punch folds the sheet while pushing it into a V-shaped die. The exact method depends on how far the punch presses. These methods are air bending, bottoming and coining.

Air bending is the most widely used, whereas the punch never pushes the metal piece onto the die. Rather, it stops when achieving the necessary angle. Or a little later, to take springback into account.

U-bending – Also uses a punch and a die. Here, the die is in shape of a U. Therefore, it can produce U-channels in one operation only.

Step bending – A way to perform bends with a large radius using a V-die. The punch performs many successive bends. The smoothness depends on the number of steps – the more steps, the smoother the outcome.

Roll bending – This method is for producing a large radius bend without any steps. An excellent way for a smooth final shape when making large cylinders or cones.

Rotary bending – This folding method helps to eliminate the bending marks. Usually, the V-shaped die leaves two lines as marks on the final part. This technique ensures a nice clean finish.

Bending’s only competitor is welding. Both arrive at a similar endpoint, using different methods. We would recommend bending whenever possible.

The advantages of metal folding are:

• Aesthetics – Not having visible weldments makes for a nicer finish. Although functionality is the most important aspect in engineering, the design comes pretty close.
• Coating – The clean finish leaves room for an easy application of powder coating.
• Fewer mistakes – Welding usually requires manual work. But this can result in more humanly mistakes. CNC press brakes ensure that the result is great and leaves less room for faults.
• Fewer parts – Using bending allows using a single piece of metal to arrive at the same outcome as welding together many separate parts. Having less makes life easier for both the workshop guys as well as the engineering department.