It is most economical to use a single bend radius throughout the design but if necessary you can utilize multiple radii.
Minimum bend radius sheet metal aluminum.
Per the aluminum association inc.
It requires an inside bend radius of at least 6x the material thickness.
In general parts should be designed with a minimum 1t bend radius radius matching the sheet thickness for the simplest setup and to ensure we can form the intended geometry.
Bend radii minimum bend sizes.
Brittle metal such as aluminum generally requires a larger bend radius than ductile material like cold rolled steel.
The minimum bend radius for aluminum when working with aluminum over sheet metal several variables need to be considered.
In general mild steel and type 304 stainless sheet can be formed with sharp bends 1t without concern up to 1 8.
The tool can calculate the required bending force for bending aluminum stainless steel mild steel and weldox or strenx high strength steels.
5052 h32 aluminum bends in about the same way as mild steel.
We recommend 5052 h32 for aluminum chassis projects.
Use this document to choose values that are both manufacturable and meet your needs.
Discover all our calculation tools in the calculators section of the top menu.
It is possible to choose other bends if you require but additional lead time and tooling charges may apply.
Aluminum where necessary 5052 h32 may be bent to 1t and 6061 t6 to 1 1 2t.
The tables below show bend radii and minimum bend sizes for materials and tooling combinations stocked by protocase.
The minimum bend radius data shown in these charts is measured to the inside of the bend.
Radii for various thicknesses expressed in terms of thickness t.
This tool allows you to determine tonnage internal radius v die opening and minimum flange you just have to insert the characteristics of the sheet metal to be bent.
Divide 50 by the material s reduction percentage as specified by the material supplier subtract by 1 and then multiply by the plate thickness.
Steel american iron and steel institute 1 see aisi s fabrication guidlines for cold bending thk 6061 t6.
The bend radii listed are standard minimum if manufacturing for aircraft and aerospace applications.
We go beyond the general rules of sheet metal bending as our customers want tight bend radii for sheet metal parts.
3003 h14 is extremely ductile.
Aluminum is typically thicker and stronger and requires more force to bend as well as consideration of edge conditions and punch nose radii.
You described a rough rule to find a steel s minimum bend radius.
In a previous bending basics article you mention a material s tensile reduction percentage used for calculating the minimum inside bend radius of various metals.