Bending Aluminium Sheet

Die opening with a relieved profile.

Bending aluminium sheet.

To calculate the expansion that will take place on the outside of your bend angle you will need to know your bend allowance. Bending sheet aluminum with a bending brake 1. Sheet aluminium can be cut without the need for a guillotine or tin snips which tend to deform the metal. The bending you will be doing will warp your sheet metal so that it is physically bigger.

You d probably air bend by using a 3 0 in. A bending brake is a specialized metalworking. Lift the clamp bar away from the rear of. For most applications with stainless steel or aluminum you can get away with a zero radius bend on anything under 0 050 thick.

To make this easier you d start with your 6061 material in the soft t 0 state. Say you re bending 0 25 in thick 6061 t6 aluminum to a 100 degree external angle 80 degree internal angle. Purchase a metal bending brake online or at your local hardware store. Flip the sheet over and repeat.

If you re bending 0 020 thick material use a 0 020 radius. 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. This weakens the aluminium and creates a fracture line.