Computer numerical control (CNC) bending and panel bending help fabricate a variety of metal components. When determining whether this fabrication method is ideal for a particular product, it&#;s important to understand what panel bending is and how it works. At Metal Works of High Point, we offer a range of CNC metal forming services for our clients&#; unique specifications. Learn more about CNC panel bending here.
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What Is Panel Bending?
Panel bending is one of many methods used for sheet metal fabrication. Automated and semi-automated processes such as CNC panel bending, which use CAD and CAM drawings, produce metal pieces with tight tolerances. Panel bending systems rely on specially designed panel bender machines. The process differs from regular bending, which usually takes place on press brakes or progressive dies.
Depending on the application&#;s specific needs, the CNC bending process may involve different types of panel bends, including:
In sharp bends, the radius is smaller than the minimum bend radius, while the center of the radius is creased to produce a sharp bend.
A custom bend radius depends on the customer&#;s unique specifications.
A step bend comprises a large bend radius divided into several smaller bends, which form a slightly larger radius.
These bends consist of sheet metal edges bent to 180°, creating a hem at the edge.
Advantages of Panel Bending
Panel bending offers numerous benefits that make it a suitable fabrication method for many applications. The process works particularly well for larger components, as it&#;s generally more economical and can meet tighter tolerances than other methods. Additionally, panel bending processes only require a single operator. The alternative would be a two-person press brake operation that&#;s more expensive, increases the likelihood of errors, and doesn&#;t allow for tight tolerances.
Press Brakes vs. Panel Benders
Press brakes and panel benders have some key differences to keep in mind. While press brakes use a punch and die set to shape materials, CNC panel benders use part manipulators along with bladed bending units. Understanding the differences between press brakes and panel benders can help you determine which to use for a given application.
The panel bending process involves the following steps:
The manipulator fixes the workpiece in place in front of the panel bender.
The panel bender&#;s blades bend the workpiece by applying force either upward or downward.
The operator turns the workpiece as needed to bend different sides.
Once bending is complete, the operator removes the finished material from the panel bender.
Dimensions and Design Considerations for Panel Bending
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With each panel bending project, there are certain design considerations and dimensions that influence the workpiece&#;s outcome.
Bend Line
The bend line is a straight line on either side of a panel bend that shows the start and end of a bend.
Bend Radius
The bend radius is the distance between the axis of the bend and the bend&#;s interior surface. The most frequently used radius is a 90° angle. To save time and money, Metal Works can bend up or down on the same plane for more efficient production.
Parts often need to be overbent to achieve the ideal radius and bend angle due to residual stress in the material following bending, which is known as springback. The minimum bend value depends on the specific material and application, but the bend radius in most applications should be at least equal to the material thickness, which helps prevent fracturing.
Bend Angle
The bend angle, or inside bend radius, is the angle from the bent flange to its starting position before bending. The inside bend radius plus the sheet thickness will give you the outside bend radius.
Neutral Axis
The neutral axis is the part of the metal sheet that remains uncompressed and unstretched. It stays at a constant length.
K-factor
This defines where the neutral axis is within the bending material. The formula for calculating the K-factor involves dividing the neutral axis (T) by the sheet thickness (t). The value of the K-factor tends to be higher than 0.25 but below 0.5.
Bend Allowance
The bend allowance is the bend&#;s arc length or the neutral axis length between the bend lines. You can use bend allowance to calculate the total flat length, specifically by adding the bend allowance to the flange lengths.
Bend Relief
Applications use bend reliefs if a bend extends on an edge. The bend relief must not be deeper than the combination of the bend radius and material thickness. To prevent tearing, the bending process requires a relief notch.
Bend Height
The bend height (H) needs to be a minimum of four times the thickness (t) of the sheet added to the bend radius (r). Otherwise, a bend height that&#;s too small will lead to part deformation. The formula for calculating bend height is as follows: H = 4t + r.
Bending Near Holes
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Panel bending near holes on a workpiece can result in hole deformation.
CNC Panel Bending From Metal Works
The experts at Metal Works of High Point offer CNC metal forming and bending services tailored to the needs of your application. We use press brakes and panel benders to achieve the best possible results with each project.
We have experience with a wide range of industries, including material handling, appliances, telecommunications, transportation, contract furniture, construction and aerial lifts, and power generation. You can learn more about our past work through our case studies.
Since our establishment in , Metal Works of High Point has developed into a leading provider of turnkey contract metal fabrication solutions for a diverse portfolio of clients. We work to give our clients high-quality custom components with an emphasis on top-tier customer service, respect, and honesty behind each project. Whenever our clients work with us, they benefit from personalized and consistently responsive service, along with state-of-the-art technology and high skill levels.
In addition to CNC bending and metal forming, we offer a host of other solutions, including laser cutting, welding, and finishing. We adhere to our five core values of honesty and integrity, dependability, respect, innovation, and commitment to excellence. In giving our clients the best, we aim to improve delivery times and cut down on costs while maintaining the highest level of quality. To ensure this, we invest in the most advanced technology available and employee training.
Want to learn more about how our capabilities can serve your application? Contact us today. If you&#;re in need of custom metal fabrication services and want to get started with us, you can request a quote.
As is commonly known in the sheet metal fabrication industry, the bending operation typically represents a bottleneck in the production process. Panel bending technology can be useful in helping metal fabricators streamline this process while significantly increasing manufacturing capacity and velocity. The ROI for a panel bender can be quick when the application and annual usage for the part mix are a good match.
To gain a better understanding of the technology, it is important to note that panel benders work on an entirely different principle than press brakes. The speed of a panel bender is based on how the technology works.
The part remains stationary while the bending tool forms flanges both up and down. The part then is rotated as the machine continues through the bending process for all sides, allowing for a very efficient bending process averaging four to five seconds per bend. Typically enclosure and flat panel parts are an excellent fit for panel benders. Large parts that are difficult to handle on a press brake can be especially good applications as well.
It is generally agreed that the average setup time on a press brake is 15 to 30 minutes, which explains the push for automatic tool changeover systems that many press brake OEMs now offer. In fact, the setup time can be so excessive that fabricators will overproduce just to amortize the setup back into the production run. Unfortunately, the parts that are not needed right away can end up sitting around somewhere as inventory, work-in-process (WIP), or worse yet, get lost or thrown away by mistake.
Setup on a panel bender is much quicker because a panel bender can use common tooling to process a variety of part geometries and material thicknesses. The operator is not required to exchange tooling physically when going from one job to another. Setup for the next job simply involves sliding the clamping tools to the new positions as needed. This can be done manually, which takes about five minutes, or with an automatic tool changer, which further decreases the setup to about 90 seconds.
The reduction in setup time that a panel bender provides is advantageous for fabricators that wish to embrace the principles of lean manufacturing&#;making only what they need when they need it and reducing WIP.
Panel bending technology works according to the transfer line principle, so that parts are always moving ahead as different stations work simultaneously. By using a modular approach, fabricators can combine multiple bending units to reduce the bending cycle time further.
This method is especially useful for achieving a 1-1 ratio between the blanking and bending operations. Once a balanced ratio is achieved, the blanking and bending processes can be integrated into one complete line without one machine or process waiting on the other. The entire process can be further optimized by feeding the finished parts directly to the assembly area, eliminating additional handling and WIP.
As with all technologies, panel bending has some caveats to its advantages. Many fabricators get excited about adding this technology to their operation only to find they do not have the right mix of parts to keep such an efficient machine busy. In many cases, complex part geometries or narrow parts can be a misfit for panel bending if the machine cannot process these types of parts with the common tooling and manipulator concept that the machine design is based on.
The idea behind the multitool panel bender was inspired by relentless research on how to expand the capability so that more types of part geometries could be processed to completion without additional manual tooling changeover.
A console is incorporated into the multitool panel bender&#;s design so that it can accommodate multiple bending tools. This enables it to bend intricate part profiles that previously were not good candidates for panel bending. An additional manipulator device on the backside of the multitool panel bender allows fabricators to process narrow channel-type parts that had been considered a challenge for traditional panel bending.
The multitool panel bender works with mild steel sheet thicknesses from 0.020 to 0.118 in. and lengths up to 13 ft. for a single machine and up to 26 ft. with two machines in tandem. Additional features such as moving tools, visual inspection devices, grippers, and custom tools can be incorporated into the final system.
The multitool panel bender is designed to be simple to program, control, and maintain, all while powered using electric drives for low energy consumption.
It is important to note that panel bending addresses not only the bending bottleneck but downstream operations as well. An analysis of the different processes in an average sheet metal fabrication shop shows that welding and assembly are by far the most expensive processes on the shop floor, with one of the main culprits being poor fit-up. How much time does the welding operator have to spend trying to make the part fit in the welding fixture rather than weld? How often does the assembly operator struggle to get the parts to fit together? This happens more often than not.
Panel benders can help streamline these downstream operations by producing parts with high flatness and accuracy. Superior flatness is achieved because unlike a press brake with dynamic crowning, minimal tonnage is placed across the bending line.
Accuracy improvements are attributable to how the part is referenced. It is referenced from a single datum point, eliminating what is known as tolerance error accumulation. When making multiple bends on a press brake, the operator often is required to gauge from previously bent flanges. This opens the opportunity for the tolerance error to accumulate, leaving the welding or assembly operator as the last line of defense to correct the problem. A quick overview of the welding and assembly departments is a good place to start when evaluating the bending process.
Panel benders are a good fit for large, boxy, flat, straight, and rectangular parts that are difficult to bend and handle by a single person using a press brake or when dealing with highly cosmetic parts.
Panel bending is commonly used to form:
Panel bending is especially applicable for bending cosmetic, or appearance, parts. Supported by a brush table underneath, the bending tool&#;s interpolated movement in the X and Y axes maintains a single point of contact to the flange during the bending process, thereby significantly reducing scratching and marring.
Panel bending technology offers many benefits in modern sheet metal manufacturing. While panel benders do have some limitations in the types of parts they can process, they can be a most efficient bending method when the application fits.
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