1 8 Sheet Metal Bend Radius

For most applications with stainless steel or aluminum you can get away with a zero radius bend on anything under 0 050 thick.
1 8 sheet metal bend radius. The bend radii listed are standard minimum if manufacturing for aircraft and aerospace applications. 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. 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. Bend allowance mild sheet steel 90 degree bend allowance bend allowance chart example flat size 2 2 095 3 905. If you re bending 0 020 thick material use a 0 020 radius. You will need to know your material thickness mt the bend angle b the inside radius ir and the k factor k.
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. 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. Thickness minimum bend bend radius. The bend allowance formula takes into account the geometries of bending and the properties of your metal to determine the bend allowance.
When the sheet metal is put through the process of bending the metal around the bend is deformed and stretched. The minimum bend radius data shown in these charts is measured to the inside of the bend. Let s say i have a 2 mm thick sheet and i want to bend it. 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.
Aluminum minimum bend radii for 90 degree cold forming of sheet and plate. I can now see that the minimum flange length is 8 5 mm for such a bend so i have to keep it in mind when designing. The tables below show bend radii and minimum bend sizes for materials and tooling combinations stocked by protocase. We go beyond the general rules of sheet metal bending as our customers want.
The material thickness will be measured in decimal form not by the gauge number. To keep it simple i also use a 2 mm inside radius. Per the aluminum association inc. Alternatively you can design with any value and we can adjust it for you later in the process.
20 gauge 0 040 1 01 mm 0 2 5 08mm.