Bend Radius Sheet Metal Rule Thumb

Minimum sheet metal bend radius depends on the selection of tool and the process.

Bend radius sheet metal rule thumb.

The force must exceed the material s yield strength to achieve a plastic deformation. The most common problem with bending a piece of sheet metal too tightly is. The sheet metal design rule of thumb in this case is. If the material is 0 5 in.

When using a punch press the diameter of a hole should always be equal to that of your tooling and you should never use a tool who s diameter is less than that of the material s thickness. Now multiply that answer by the plate thickness. The problem with bending too tightly. 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.

Here s a good rule of thumb for most materials. Note that this is just a rule of thumb. Bend radii minimum bend sizes. The distance between the sheet metal bend line and edge of the hole should be two times or greater the thickness of the sheet metal.

4 0 5 2. This is done through the application of force on a workpiece. Relief cuts for bends must be at least one sheet s thickness in width and be longer than the bend radius. Bending is one of the most common sheet metal fabrication operations.

So in this case the minimum inside bend radius is 2 times the material thickness. The more ductile the sheet metal the. Also known as press braking flanging die bending folding and edging this method is used to deform a material to an angular shape. If a piece of material is bent too tightly problems can occur.

A simple rule of thumb. 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. If you re bending 0 020 thick material use a 0 020 radius. Use this document to choose values that are both manufacturable and meet your needs.

It is most economical to use a single bend radius throughout the design but if necessary you can utilize multiple radii. Minimum sheet metal bending radius. Divide 50 by the material s tensile reduction percentage as specified by your supplier. Also spaces between pierced holes and bends should accommodate the bend radius h and be far enough from the bend.

There s a rule of thumb to determine a steel s minimum bend radius and this generally works for aluminum too. If the steel has a tensile reduction value of 10 percent divide 50 by that value. Greg paulsen is director of applications engineering at xometry. Never design a hole smaller than 040 diameter unless laser cutting.

Usually the preferred distance between holes and a bend is 1 5 times the sheet. Finding the true minimum bend radius for steel or aluminum plate requires a little research.