Sheet Metal Bend Radius Vs Thickness

The hardness of the metal.

Sheet metal bend radius vs thickness.

Similarly the harder a piece of metal is the more room you ll have to allocate for the bend as well or risk fracturing the sheet metal. The material thickness will be measured in decimal form not by the gauge number. You described a rough rule to find a steel s minimum bend radius. 4 0 5 2.

In a previous bending basics article you mention a material s tensile reduction percentage used for calculating the minimum inside bend radius of various metals. For this material this is the minimum producible inside radius with air forming. Finding the true minimum bend radius for steel or aluminum plate requires a little research. If you are working with a material thickness of 0 100 in multiply that by 0 63 to get a minimum inside bend radius of 0 063 in.

When sheet metal is bent it stretches in length. It depends which material you are bending and what is the requirement. Divide 50 by the material s reduction percentage as specified by the material supplier subtract by 1 and then multiply by the plate thickness. Now multiply that answer by the plate thickness.

The tables below show bend radii and minimum bend sizes for materials and tooling combinations stocked by protocase. The bend deduction is the amount the sheet metal will stretch when bent as measured from the outside edges of the bend. The thickness of the metal. So in this case the minimum inside bend radius is 2 times the material thickness.

First we must start with the k factor. It is most economical to use a single bend radius throughout the design but if necessary you can utilize multiple radii. The formed bend radius is dependent upon the dies used the material properties and the material thickness. You will need to know your material thickness mt the bend angle b the inside radius ir and the k factor k.

It is possible to choose other bends if you require but additional lead time and tooling charges may apply. If the material is 0 5 in. Bend radii minimum bend sizes. Use this document to choose values that are both manufacturable and meet your needs.

Note that this is just a rule of thumb. If minimum flange requirement is too close you can choose r t 2 also and suitable die. We go beyond the general rules of sheet metal bending as our customers want tight bend radii for sheet metal parts. This apply for sheet metal with 2 mm and lesser and obvious tonnage of the machine wi.

The bend allowance formula takes into account the geometries of bending and the properties of your metal to determine the bend allowance. The bending angle is 90 sheet thickness 5 mm and the inside radius is 6 mm. The bend radius refers to the inside radius.