Table 1 preferred recommended 90 degree bend radii for various sheet metals.
Minimum bend radius sheet metal aluminum metric.
Understanding the bend allowance and consequently the bend deduction of a part is a crucial first step to understanding how sheet metal parts are fabricated.
It shall be equal to three times of sheet thickness plus bend radius.
In steel between 0 5 and 0 8 in.
Radii for various thicknesses expressed in terms of thickness t.
As this happens you gain a small amount of total length in your part.
Minimum sheet metal flange bend length 3 x sheet thickness bend radius.
Aluminum minimum bend radii for 90 degree cold forming of sheet and plate.
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.
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.
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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.
The minimum bend radius data shown in these charts is measured to the inside of the bend.
The tool can calculate the required bending force for bending aluminum stainless steel mild steel and weldox or strenx high strength steels.
Minimum sheet metal flange bend length is required to avoid cracks in the bending area.
It is most economical to use a single bend radius throughout the design but if necessary you can utilize multiple radii.
Aluminum where necessary 5052 h32 may be bent to 1t and 6061 t6 to 1 1 2t.
Use this document to choose values that are both manufacturable and meet your needs.
The minimum inside bend radius is even larger when bending with the grain.
The tables below show bend radii and minimum bend sizes for materials and tooling combinations stocked by protocase.
Bend radii minimum bend sizes.
3003 h14 is extremely ductile.
Brittle metal such as aluminum generally requires a larger bend radius than ductile material like cold rolled steel.
5052 h32 aluminum bends in about the same way as mild steel.
When the sheet metal is put through the process of bending the metal around the bend is deformed and stretched.
For example 6061 t6 aluminum is very difficult to bend.
Per the aluminum association inc.
Minimum hole diameter guidelines.
The bend radii listed are standard minimum if manufacturing for aircraft and aerospace applications.
