Steel Sheet Metal Bend Radius Chart

Let s say i have a 2 mm thick sheet and i want to bend it.

Steel sheet metal bend radius chart.

Being able to read a bend force chart is crucial for any brake press operator and sheet metal engineer. The bend allowance formula takes into account the geometries of bending and the properties of your metal to determine the bend allowance. The material thickness will be measured in decimal form not by the gauge number. 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.

Therefore the bend allowance added to the flange lengths is equal to the total flat. We go beyond the general rules of sheet metal bending as our customers want tight bend radii for sheet metal parts. The bend radii listed are standard minimum if manufacturing for aircraft and aerospace applications. To keep it simple i also use a 2 mm inside radius.

The gauge inside radius die opening and minimum flange length are all interconnected through different equations and relationships the air bend force. 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. You will need to know your material thickness mt the bend angle b the inside radius ir and the k factor k. The bend radius of a sheet metal design will be based on the wall thickness of the part and the tooling that is available in house.

It is possible to choose other bends if you require but additional lead time and tooling charges may apply. Use the minimum bend dimension values in the charts below for your minimum closeness of cutout to a bend. 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. Sheet metal bend radii if these guidelines are not followed more research and or some form of analysis may be requried.

The tables below show bend radii and minimum bend sizes for materials and tooling combinations stocked by protocase. The bend allowance and bend deduction are two measures that relate the bent length of a piece of sheet metal to the flat length. The bend radius you select may not be available if the geometry of the part will not allow us to bend with the specific tooling required to achieve that radius. Divide 50 by the material s reduction percentage as specified by the material supplier subtract by 1 and then multiply by the plate thickness.

The minimum bend radius data shown in these charts is measured to the inside of the bend. Material bend radii and minimum bend size charts please note. The second important number when creating sheet metal designs is the bend radius value. The bend allowance describes the length of the neutral axis between the bend lines or in other words the arc length of the bend.

A section view of a typical punch and die set used to create sheet metal bends. Sheet metal bend radius.