Minimum Bend Radius Sheet Metal

An air bend force chart or force chart breaks down a number of key components of sheet metal bending in an easy to reference format.

Minimum bend radius sheet metal.

In steel between 0 5 and 0 8 in. The bend radii listed are standard minimum if manufacturing for aircraft and aerospace applications. The minimum inside bend radius is even larger when bending with the grain. To keep it simple i also use a 2 mm inside radius.

Discover all our calculation tools in the calculators section of the top menu. The problem with bending too tightly. The tables below show bend radii and minimum bend sizes for materials and tooling combinations stocked by protocase. Since commercial sheet metal bending can be done with less concern for stresses caused during forming operation the radius can be near zero for thin sheet metal.

It requires an inside bend radius of at least 6x the material thickness. It is possible to choose other bends if you require but additional lead time and tooling charges may apply. This tool allows you to determine tonnage internal radius v die opening and minimum flange you just have to insert the characteristics of the sheet metal to be bent. Each and every bend in a piece of sheet metal has a certain minimum internal radius that needs to be taken into account when planning the design of a sheet metal form.

Minimum inside bend radius for sheet metal recommended inside bend radius for sheet metal parts should be equal to material thickness. The tool can calculate the required bending force for bending aluminum stainless steel mild steel and weldox or strenx high strength steels. We go beyond the general rules of sheet metal bending as our customers want tight bend radii for sheet metal parts. Being able to read a bend force chart is crucial for any brake press operator and sheet metal engineer.

Thick grade 350 and 400 may have a minimum bend radius of 2 5 times the material thickness when transverse bending while longitudinal bending may require a minimum bend radius that s 3 75 times the material thickness see figure 1. For example 6061 t6 aluminum is very difficult to bend. The minimum bend radius data shown in these charts is measured to the inside of the bend. 5052 h32 aluminum bends in about the same way as mild steel.

If a piece of material is bent too tightly problems can occur. I can now see that the minimum flange length is 8 5 mm for such a bend so i have to keep it in mind when designing. 3003 h14 is extremely ductile. The gauge inside radius die opening and minimum flange length are all interconnected through different equations and relationships the air bend force.

Use this document to choose values that are both manufacturable and meet your needs. Bend radii minimum bend sizes. Crca inside bend radius equal to 0 65 times of sheet thickness is also enough. Brittle metal such as aluminum generally requires a larger bend radius than ductile material like cold rolled steel.