The basics of sheet metal bending

Sheet metal bending: Under the pressure of the upper or lower die of the bending machine, the metal sheet first undergoes elastic deformation and then enters into plastic deformation. At the beginning of plastic bending, the sheet is free to bend. Apply pressure, the sheet material and the inner surface of the V-shaped groove of the lower die are gradually abutted, and at the same time, the radius of curvature and the bending force arm is gradually reduced, and the pressure is continued until the end of the stroke so that the upper and lower die and the plate are in full contact at three points. Complete a V-bend, which is what we commonly call a bending. The following picture is a 90°V-bend:

There are two methods for sheet metal bending: one is die bending, which is used for sheet metal structures with complex structures, small volumes, and large-scale processing; the other is bending machine bending, which is used for processing structural dimensions Larger or less productive sheet metal structures.

1. Die bending: The processing volume is thousands of pieces, and the size of the parts is not too large (generally 300X300), generally consider the processing of stamping dies. Commonly used bending molds: V-type bending mold, U-type bending mold, Z-type bending mold (As shown below). In order to prolong the life of the mold, the parts are designed with rounded corners as much as possible.

2. Bending by bending machine: The bending machine is divided into ordinary bending machines and CNC bending machines. The precision requirements are high, and the bending of sheet metal with an irregular bending shape is generally bent by a CNC bending machine. The basic principle is to use the bending knife (upper die) and V-shaped groove (lower die) of the bending machine. Sheet metal parts are bent and formed.

Advantages: convenient clamping, accurate positioning, fast processing speed;

Disadvantages: The pressure is small, only simple forming can be processed, and the efficiency is low.