Bend Radius Sheet Metal Rule Thumb

A cutout or the edge of your flange to your bend.

Bend radius sheet metal rule thumb. Minimum sheet metal bending radius. What could be simpler than choosing the inner radius ir just the same as the material thickness. Larger radius will just make some other calculations a little more difficult. The minimum bend radius for mild steel sheet metal.

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. If you re bending 0 020 thick material use a 0 020 radius. 2 5 material thickness bend radius. The sheet metal design rule of thumb in this case is.

Distance from outside mold line to the bottom of the cutout should be equal to the minimum flange length prescribed by the air bend force chart. 5 1 4. Now multiply that answer by the plate thickness. The inside bend radius should be equal to the thickness of the material that you re forming.

Here s a good rule of thumb for most materials. Determine your minimum bend by measuring the distance from your closest feature i e. Bends should be at least six times the material s thickness plus the radius of the curl. If the material is 0 5 in.

So in this case the minimum inside bend radius is 2 times the material thickness. 4 0 5 2. The sheet metal design rule of thumb in this case is. Dropping below that value can bring problems your way.

Outside radius of curls must be at least twice the sheet s thickness. This avoids later troubles overthinking and silly mistakes. Rule of thumb for minimum bend radius. Choose a bend radius that matches your minimum bend.

Minimum sheet metal bend radius depends on the selection of tool and the process. If you have any questions or want to discuss your design contact us. The more ductile the sheet metal the smaller the inner bend radius is possible.