Sheet Metal Bend Radius Rule Of Thumb

The material thickness will be measured in decimal form not by the gauge number.

Sheet metal bend radius rule of thumb.

Bending is one of the most common sheet metal fabrication operations. 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. To prevent tearing relief should provide at bend. You will need to know your material thickness mt the bend angle b the inside radius ir and the k factor k.

The inside bend radius should be equal to the thickness of the material that you re forming. So in this case the minimum inside bend radius is 2 times the material thickness. 4 0 5 2. Now multiply that answer by the plate thickness.

Greg paulsen is director of applications engineering at xometry. 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. Finding the true minimum bend radius for steel or aluminum plate requires a little research. Bend radii minimum bend sizes.

Minimum sheet metal bend radius depends on the selection of tool and the process. Bends that are in the same plane need to be designed in the same direction to avoid part re orientation to save both money and time. If the material is 0 5 in. Also known as press braking flanging die bending folding and edging this method is used to deform a material to an angular shape.

As per sheet metal design thumb rules the length of bend relief should be greater than or equal to the inside bend radius of the bend and the width of the bend relief should be greater than or equal to the sheet metal thickness. Here s a good rule of thumb for most materials. The more ductile the sheet metal the. The sheet metal design rule of thumb in this case is.

Keeping the bend radius consistent will also make parts more cost effective. It is most economical to use a single bend radius throughout the design but if necessary you can utilize multiple radii. Relief cuts for bends must be at least one sheet s thickness in width and be longer than the bend radius. If you re bending 0 020 thick material use a 0 020 radius.

This is done through the application of force on a workpiece. Also spaces between pierced holes and bends should accommodate the bend radius h and be far enough from the bend. Minimum sheet metal bending radius. Usually the preferred distance between holes and a bend is 1 5 times the sheet.

The force must exceed the material s yield strength to achieve a plastic deformation. The bend allowance formula takes into account the geometries of bending and the properties of your metal to determine the bend allowance.