Bend Aluminum Sheet Smallest Radius

The trend is obvious.

Bend aluminum sheet smallest radius.

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. Aluminum is typically thicker and stronger and requires more force to bend as well as consideration of edge conditions and punch nose radii. This is done through the application of force on a workpiece. 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. The problem with bending too tightly. Brittle metal such as aluminum generally requires a larger bend radius than ductile material like cold rolled steel. The most common problem with bending a piece of sheet metal too tightly is.

Again the minimum inside bend radius is even larger when bending with the grain. It requires an inside bend radius of at least 6x the material thickness. Per the aluminum association inc. X research source basic bending brakes typically retail for around 20 50 and are small enough to fit easily on most work benches or tabletops.

For 0 5 in thick 7050 aluminum the minimum bend radius may be specified as much as 9 5 times material thickness. Radii for various thicknesses expressed in terms of thickness t. If your bend radius needs to be adjusted a member of engineering design services team will contact you before your design is manufactured. We go beyond the general rules of sheet metal bending as our customers want tight bend radii for sheet metal parts.

For example 6061 t6 aluminum is very difficult to bend. 5052 h32 aluminum bends in about the same way as mild steel. The harder and thicker the plate is the greater the minimum bend radius. Also known as press braking flanging die bending folding and edging this method is used to deform a material to an angular shape.

3003 h14 is extremely ductile. Pulling up on a pair of small handles causes the moving platform to rotate upwards bending the metal at varying angles to the fixed platform. This free chart outlines what bend radii is required for the approximate thickness of aluminum. The force must exceed the material s yield strength to achieve a plastic deformation.

The bend radii listed are standard minimum if manufacturing for aircraft and aerospace applications. It is possible to choose other bends if you require but additional lead time and tooling charges may apply. We recommend printing it out to keep as a reference. If a piece of material is bent too tightly problems can occur.

The minimum bend radius data shown in these charts is measured to the inside of the bend. Bending is one of the most common sheet metal fabrication operations.