Since commercial sheet metal bending can be done with less concern for stresses caused during forming operation the radius can be near zero for thin sheet metal.
Minimum bend radius stainless steel sheet metal.
However it is important to know that this is just a broadly applicable rule of thumb you can follow for making bends in steel.
Where necessary 5052 h32 may be bent to 1t and 6061 t6 to 1 1 2t.
Steel american iron and steel institute.
Discover all our calculation tools in the calculators section of the top menu.
Stainless steel and aluminum a general guideline the minimum metal bend radius is approximately equal to the material thickness.
Grain direction is formed in metal in the direction in which the sheet was rolled at the steel mill.
If these guidelines are not followed more research and or some form of analysis may be requried.
Use this document to choose values that are both manufacturable and meet your needs.
It s true that the harder and thicker the plate is the greater the minimum bend radius.
Thick grade 350 and 400 may have a minimum bend radius of 2 5 times the material thickness when transverse bending while longitudinal bending may require a minimum bend radius that s 3 75 times the material thickness see figure 1.
The tool can calculate the required bending force for bending aluminum stainless steel mild steel and weldox or strenx high strength steels.
In steel between 0 5 and 0 8 in.
The bend allowance formula takes into account the geometries of bending and the properties of your metal to determine the bend allowance.
The following tables showing the minimum bend radius allowable in air bending process for aluminum and steel or stainless steel.
Sheet metal bend radii.
Minimum bend includes minimum closeness of cutout to bend radius cold rolled steel 14 gauge 0 075 1 91mm.
In general mild steel and type 304 stainless sheet can be formed with sharp bends 1t without concern up to 1 8 thick.
So if the metal plate is 75 thick you would multiply 4 x 75 3 so your minimum inside bend radius would be roughly 3 times the thickness of the material in this case or 2 25.
The material thickness will be measured in decimal form not by the gauge number.
The minimum inside bend radius is even larger when bending with the grain.
Minimum bend radius chart.
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.
Preferred recommended 90 degree bend radii for various sheet metals.
Aluminum 5052 or 3003.