Sheet Metal design is a complex task that involves several disciplines that include flexible mechanical and thermal behavior, aesthetics, manufacturing, and assembly process.

A product designed with a compromise of these areas can cause severe issues down the line, affecting the performance and the end-user satisfaction.

Below are a few mistakes manufacturers often encounter when designing Sheet Metal products and ways to avoid them.

Having a Tight Bend Radius

The bend radius is necessary to notice when drawing up your design. Because when the bend radius is too tight, it becomes a weak point in the sheet metal product.

A near-perpendicular bend area can cause your part to break easily. It can also deformity the dimensions of the sheet metal part you’re trying to create.

You need to understand the bend ratios and quality of the sheet metal product. If you cannot understand, you will most likely get a crack in the metal.

In this case, you need to redesign and refabricate your metal product, and it will enhance your production cost.

Making Excess Holes

Holes, in particular, are daunting to add in large quantities in sheet metal products. It can add complexity to the process, and each hole has a solid chance of breaking the sheet metal product.

Moreover, placing these notches and other features too close to your bent edges can affect the function of the sheet metal part.

If you place the holes near a bend radius, they may lose their capacity to hold hardware or withstand tension.

The best practice is not to put any cut features near any bends. If you need to add one near a turn, try to add them past the bend line.

Not Including Hardware Specs

Including all details is essential when compiling your hardware specifications in your CAD file. Every sheet metal product fabrication process begins with a CAD file.

Without the proper hardware specifications, you will have extended lead times for your fabrication.

You need to note which types of nuts, studs, bolts, and other components you require in your sheet metal product. With a comprehensive CAD file, you will acquire precisely what you want in lesser time.

Using The Wrong Sheet Metals

Selecting the suitable sheet materials for your project is very important. When in the designing stage, consider the type of environment your product will face daily.

If your design is based on mechanical properties alone, your product may become unusable in a short amount of time. Such as, untreated steel would not last very long in a high-salt, damp environment.

You can avoid enhanced manufacturing costs by considering resistance to heat, corrosion, and other environmental factors.

For instance, mechanical features like tensile strength or malleability, Conductivity of electricity and heat, Toughness and wear resistance, Weight, and manufacturability and Cosmetic look.

Picking The Wrong Finish

Apart from the base materials, the sheet metal finish also serves an essential purpose for your final product. Some finishes protect steel, while others add decorative features to their surface.

Aesthetic finishes usually don’t provide any corrosion protection. But powder coating does give some protection against water and other elements.

Chemical finishes alter the properties of the steel surface. And add additional features to make it more corrosion resistant.

When selecting a finish, there are many options to check. So, check which one will give results that suit your need.

Being Unaware of Machine Capabilities

Another common mistake when designing sheet metal products for manufacturing is a general lack of knowledge of the machines.

When talking with a manufacturer, take the time to ask them about their devices and their capabilities early on.

You can ask for a guided tour around their facility. It enables you to make the appropriate adjustments to your design to meet these constraints better.

Final note

The most important thing to remember when designing metal components is that the metal part will always be bent into shape.

This means you need to consider this in your design. Most design engineers tend to design Sheet Metal parts using a flat pattern, but this can result in poor formability and reduced yield.

Always consider the surface finish required for your product and the requirements for special finishes such as electroplating or heat treatment.

Delahenty Machinery

At Delahenty Machinery, we endeavor to be the one-stop shop for all your Sheet Metal needs. We ensure that you get access to the best tools and machines at affordable prices, so buying them from us is more advantageous than anyone else.

Contact us for more details.

Sheet metal bending is one of the most common operations. You can call it as folding, braking, flanging, die bending, and edging.

Sheet metal bending is when a single flat piece of metal is deformed through force. This force must be applied evenly across the workpiece to achieve a bend. The final result is a permanent change in the shape of the piece. Metal bracelets are just one example of what can be achieved with a simple sheet metal bending process.

But do you know? What are the most common bending methods? How to calculate bend allowance?

We will discuss all these questions in this blog and some bending tips. We would unfold every aspect of sheet metal bending.

Sheet Metal Bending Methods

Whether you have your own company that does lots of bending, or you’re a hobbyist who does it just for fun, you should always be looking for ways to improve the overall quality of your bending projects. It might not have occurred to you before, but there are multiple methods for bending sheet metal. And Each has its advantages. The problem is usually between accuracy or simplicity, while the latter gets more usage.

V-bending method

The V-Bending method is the most common sheet metal bending method. This is because it is the most accessible workable sheet metal that can be usually completed in 2 or 3 steps. In this method, an instrument is a punch, and v-die gets bend sheet metals to a required angle. The bending punch presses on the sheet metal placed over the V-die. After that, The angle formed by the sheet metal depends upon the pressure point of the punch.

V-bending is used for most bending projects. Bending stock material to fit a contour of a pre-existing component is what a v-bend does. This method you can use in automotive fenders, grills, vans, trucks, and RVs.

The V-bending method can be classified into three:

Bottoming
Coining
Air Bending

Roll Bending Process

To bend sheet metals into rolls or curved shapes, you can use roll bending. The method employs a hydraulic press, a press brake, and three rollers to make different bends or a big round bend. This process forms cones, tubes, and hollow shapes.

U-Bending Process

The U-bending process is similar to the V-bending process. It uses the same instrument and method. The only difference is that the result in terms of the shape is U-shaped. U-bending is very famous. Moreover, other methods produce the form flexibly.

Wipe Bending Process

Wipe bending is a sheet metal working process used to create almost flawless bends. It is free of the double scarring found in taper dies. Wipe bending allows the metal shape using just one piece of metal. The wiping dies is possible. It enables the metal to shape and when in operation.

Rotary Bending Process

In the process of bending, scratching is produced by the tool. The rotary Bending Process does not lead to scratching the material’s surface. It is also ideal because it can bend materials into sharp corners. Therefore, it has become a must-know skill in sheet metal work workshops.

Sheet Metal Bending Allowance

So, what is bend allowance? Bend allowance is a manufacturing term that refers to the allocation given to accommodate sheet metal’s stretch and bending.

When sheet metal is bent from its original flat shape, its physical dimensions will change. The force employed to bend the material causes the material to compress and stretch on the inside and outside.

This deformation changes the sheet metal due to the exerted force of compression and stretching on the bend. The length calculated from the bend’s thickness between the inner surface and the exterior remains the same. And we called this a “neutral axis.”

Bend allowance examines the thickness of the bending angle, the method employed, and the K-factor. Bend allowance measures the compression ratio on the inside line of a bend to the tension on the outside of the bend.

Questions you may ask before bending a sheet metal

What is the best sheet metal bending method?

All sheet metal bending modes serves various purposes and produces multiple shapes. So, the best bending method depends on the material’s goal as per shape.

Is sheet metal easy to bend?

Bending steel plates is not that easy. But, with an understanding of the process, it can become manageable. Firstly, you need to understand the methods to use and the tools available. You can go over the article to get familiar with the process.

Conclusion

So that wraps up our discussion of different methods for bending sheet metal. Remember, though, that the correct solution to your particular problem will depend on the type of material you are using and the shape and size of your finished piece. If you have specific questions about these topics, don’t hesitate to contact us or another professional in your area!

Tag: Sheet Metal Bending Machine

Mistakes to avoid when designing Sheet Metal products