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Bending brake isnt giving me the right bend radiu

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FastEddie

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Dec 20, 2008
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Hey All,


I had a problem with getting the correct bend radius when making my heeltrays in a bending brake (not a press brake) and I wondered if anyone can tell me what I'm doing wrong.


I needed to make a 90 degree bend with a .125" radius in a piece of 0.050" thick 3003-H14 aluminum.


I adjusted the setback to 0.175" (0.125" radius plus 0.050" material thickness) on the bending brake. When I made the bend, the material bent right at the clamping point with a really tight radius (0.025-0.050") instead of the 0.125" that I should have seen. The grain of the material was perpendicular to the bend line.


Do I need to also insert a piece of material with a 0.125" radiused edge into thebrake on top of the aluminumto act as a 'former' to keep the radius correct? Will I have this same problem with steel as well?


I'm really confused. I followed the set-up instructions to the letter and even double-checked everything, but the bend kept coming out way too tight.


Thanks in Advance,


Ed
 

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