Aluminum Sheet Bending Tips

How to bend sheet metal without a brake in 4 different methods with minimal or homemade tools.

Aluminum sheet bending tips.

Depending on designation alloys go through different heat treatment procedures during production. This weakens the aluminium and creates a fracture line. Clamp the wood on top of the metal to the workbench. Bending is a delicate and demanding process most of the time and common fabricating processes require a degree of formability that make your choice of proper alloy critical.

In some cases as with thicker sheet of metal you may need to use a sheet metal brake to apply your bend. With the aid of a straight edge and a sharp knife score both sides of the aluminium sheet. Then place the clamp bar back down on top of the aluminum crosswise. He lit up and decided to make the fullest of the opportunity to share his insights on sheet metal bending.

Insert your aluminum sheet into the brake beneath the removable clamp bar. How to bend sheet metal without a brake. Finally bend the sheet up by hand to the angle desired. If you re bending 0 020 thick material use a 0 020 radius.

Sheet aluminium can be cut without the need for a guillotine or tin snips which tend to deform the metal. Mark a bend line and place the sheet metal on the edge of your bench. In high purity forms aluminum is soft and ductile. So i talked to our experienced sales engineer who knows his bit about sheet metal bending.

Lift the clamp bar away from the rear of the brake frame and slide the sheet in perpendicularly to the direction you want to bend it. 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. When bending aluminum know that the smaller your inside bend radius the larger the chance that cracking will occur in the part. Thus he brought out a list of common mistakes and the solutions to avoid them.

Next place the wood parallel and slightly behind the bending line. Place the fracture line over the edge of a table and bend the overhang slightly downwards. Make sure the bar is seated firmly inside the frame. For most applications with stainless steel or aluminum you can get away with a zero radius bend on anything under 0 050 thick.

Sheet metal design tips for bending.