Bend Radius Sheet Metal Rule Thumb

So in this case the minimum inside bend radius is 2 times the material thickness.

Bend radius sheet metal rule thumb.

Relief cuts for bends must be at least one sheet s thickness in width and be longer than the bend radius. The force must exceed the material s yield strength to achieve a plastic deformation. Also spaces between pierced holes and bends should accommodate the bend radius h and be far enough from the bend. The inside bend radius should be equal to the thickness of the material that you re forming.

Use this document to choose values that are both manufacturable and meet your needs. Usually the preferred distance between holes and a bend is 1 5 times the sheet. 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. Divide 50 by the material s tensile reduction percentage as specified by your supplier.

This value will vary by grade. Now multiply that answer by the plate thickness. A simple rule of thumb. The problem with bending too tightly.

The sheet metal design rule of thumb in this case is. Note that this is just a rule of thumb. 4 0 5 2. If a piece of material is bent too tightly problems can occur.

If you re bending 0 020 thick material use a 0 020 radius. It is most economical to use a single bend radius throughout the design but if necessary you can utilize multiple radii. The more ductile the sheet metal the. Minimum sheet metal bending radius.

Bending is one of the most common sheet metal fabrication operations. There s a rule of thumb to determine a steel s minimum bend radius and this generally works for aluminum too. Here s a good rule of thumb for most materials. If the steel has a tensile reduction value of 10 percent divide 50 by that value.

This is done through the application of force on a workpiece. 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. 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. 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.

Greg paulsen is director of applications engineering at xometry. Never design a hole smaller than 040 diameter unless laser cutting. If the material is 0 5 in. Bend radii minimum bend sizes.

Minimum sheet metal bend radius depends on the selection of tool and the process. 2 5 material thickness bend radius.