SHEET METAL BASICS

INDEX
CONTENTS PAGE
NO.
Forming Basics. 3
Critical Dimensions.3
Bend Radius...4
Bend Relief4
Forming Near Holes..5
Form height to thickness ratio..5
Edge Distortion.6
Hole Diameter6
Hole-to-edge clearance6

Hole taper.6

Hole diameter.7

Countersinks.7

Edge-to-Hole clearance.10
Forming-Bend Relief.10
Edge Bulging..10
Hole-to-form..10
Sheet metal bending.11
Bend allowance.11
K Factor .
.11
Some useful sites .12
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 SHEET METAL BASICS

Forming Basics
Press brake forming-The fundamental advantage of a press
brake as a forming tool is its flexibility. By using standard vee-
dies, cost savings can be realized through economical set-ups
and run times on small lots and prototypes. In addition to
these considerations, using thefollowing guidelines will
increase the manufacturability of designs for press brake
forming. Dimension the part in a single direction wherever
possible. Because of the sequential nature of the forming
process, and the fact that dimensional variation is introduced
at each bend,dimensioning in a single direction parallels the
process and helps to control tolerance accumulation.
Furthermore, allow a more generous bend tolerance (+/- .
007) as tighter tolerances, while achievable, will result in
higher costs. Use consistent bend radius for all bends per
part, when possibleit helps minimize setup changes.
Additionally, we prefer radii specs in fractions of an inch, as
our tooling is sized accordingly.

Generally, dimensioning should be done from a feature to an

edge. Avoid feature-to-feature dimensions over two or more
planes. Feature-to-bend dimensions may require special
fixtures or gauging.This also means that tolerances in the
title block of a drawing may be unnecessarily restrictive for
certain dimensions and angles, while very appropriate for
others.

Critical Dimensions Sheet Metal Forming Outside

dimension should be used unless the inside dimension is
critical

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 SHEET METAL BASICS

Embosses and Offsets Emboss and offset dimensions

should be to the same side of the material unless the overall
height is critical. Only the truly critical dimensions should be
highlighted as such. Placing excessively high tolerances and
redundant critical dimensions can dramatically increase the
cost of the part.

Bend Radius- As a rule, inside bend radius should be equal

to material thickness. When the radius is less than
recommended, this can cause material flow problems in soft
material and fracturing in hard material.

Bend Relief - When a bend is made close to an edge the

material may tear unless bend relief is given. Figure "A"
shows a torn part. Figure "B" shows a part with the edge a
sufficient distance from the form. This distance should never
be less than the radius of the bend. Figure "C" shows a bend
relief cut into the part, again the depth of the relief should be
greater than the radius of the bend. The width of the relief
should be a material thickness or greater, preferably a
material thickness + 1/64".

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 SHEET METAL BASICS

Forming Near Holes When a bend is made too close to a

hole, the hole may become deformed. Figure "A" shows a
hole that has become teardrop shaped because of this
problem. To save the cost of punching or drilling in a
secondary operation the following formulas can be used to
calculate the minimum distance required:

For a hole < 1" in diameter the minimum distance "D" = 2T +

R (see fig. "B")

For a slot or hole > 1" diameter then the minimum distance
"D" = 2.5T + R (see fig. "C")

Form height to thickness ratio To determine the

minimum form height for sheet metal use the following

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 SHEET METAL BASICS

formula: D = 2.5T + R (see below) The height can be less but

it required secondary operations and is far more costly.

Edge Distortion An exaggerated example of edge

deformation is pictured in figure "A" below.The overhang
caused by this distortion can be as large as the material
thickness. As material thickness increases and bend radius
decreases the overhang becomes more severe. In situations
where an overhang is unacceptable the part can be relieved
as in figure "B".

Hole to edge clearance A good rule of thumb for hole

placement is to keep the hole at least one material thickness
away from any edge. If the hole gets too close to an edge a
bulge can form as shown below. Also note, if the hole is used
for fastening two pieces together, extra web

Hole taper When a hole is punched it does not have a

constant radius through the entire thickness of the part. The
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 SHEET METAL BASICS

cross section of a punched hole is shown below. The taper in

the bottom side of the hole is relative to the die clearance.
Die clearance is the difference between the punch diameter
and die diameter. It is usually about 10% of the material
thickness. To get a constant diameter through the entire
material thickness the part must be drilled, a far more costly
operation.

Hole diameter to thickness ratio For most materials

hole diameter should not be less than material thickness. As
tensile strength increases the punch diameter must also
increase.

Counter sinks A counter sink can be put in sheet metal by

both machining and/or punching.Each of these methods give
the finished part different characteristics. The cross sections
of the features are shown below, they are listed from least to
most expensive (tooling cost not included).

Formed Low Cost Used for thin gages, 18 gage and

lighter.
Punched Low Cost Most common, used for anything
heavier than 18 gage.
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 SHEET METAL BASICS

Punched and Machined Medium Cost Used for harder

materials that cannot be formed with a punch, e.g. heavy
gage stainless.
Machined Complete High Cost Rarely used, only for high
tolerance applications or materials too thick to be punched.

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 SHEET METAL BASICS

Stamping Basics:-
Involve us during design stage to optimize cost and
performance in component design. Engineering changes can
be costly .While stamping offers precision and good
reproducibility, consideration must be given to the
amortization of tooling costs over the lifespan of production.
Larger quantities typically justify more sophisticated tooling.
Blanking:-Dimension checks are made at the shear area or
cut band (punch side) as the die side accuracy is affected
by break out.

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Corners- May be sharp, however to reduce tooling costs,

specify radii of material thickness or a minimum of .015.
Notches and Tabs- should not be narrower than 1.5X the
material thickness. Length of notches can be up to 5X length
of material thickness.

Cutoffs:-There are three kinds of cutoffs in blanking:

straight/square, half round or partial radius and full radius.
The square cutoff is the most economical. The full radius is

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not recommended as it leaves an unavoidable feather edge

burr along the outside material edge.

Piercing:
Holes-Minimum diameter of holes should be equal or greater
than 1.2 X material thickness, and
2X material thickness for stainless steel or high tensile
materials.
Edge-to-hole- Allow 2x material thickness (web) to
prevent bulging of material.
Forming:
Guidelines are similar to CNC press brake:
Bend Relief-Provide bend relief along L shaped features
(Width=2*T and Depth=T +R) Edge bulging-restrictive
tolerances on V bends may result in edge bulgingprovide
bend relief accordingly.
Hole-to-form-distance from hole-to-formto avoid hole
distortion, place holes no less than 2.5 times the material
thickness + bend radius from the bend itself.
Slot-to-form-long slots should be spaced 4 X the material
thickness plus the bend radius.

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 SHEET METAL BASICS

Drawing:
1. Shapes-A myriad of shapes can be formed through
multiple draws. Round shapes offer that greatest ease
and economy in drawing. Then next best option is
square with adequate corner radii. Costs increase for
combinations of basic shapes and irregular shapes.
2. Radii-To facilitate drawing, keep radii as generous as
possible: punch and die radius should be a minimum of
four times the material thickness. The part radius should
be at no less than six times the material thickness with
appropriate drawing-quality material.

Sheet Metal Bending Bend Allowance and K-Factor

>> What is Sheet Metal Bending?
Sheet metal bending is the most common process in sheet
metal enclosure manufacturing. It is a process where sheet
metal is made to desired shape by plastically deforming the
metal about one axis with a press brake.
The critical information here is in the bending process, the
metal is stressed beyond its yield strength but below its
ultimate tensile strength. There is almost no change to
metals surface area.
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The basic metal bending process goes like this.

1) The sheet metal is placed on the Vee die, held in place
with hold-downs, positioned in place with stops and gages.
2) The upper part of the press, the appropriately shaped
punch, presses down and forms the desired v-shaped bend.
>> What Machines Are Used in Sheet Metal Bending?
3. Sheet metal bending is done with press brakes. Standard
press brakes have a capacity of 20 to 200 tons to
accommodate sheet stock from 3 feet to 15 feet.
Bending is a very flexible process when combined with
programmable back gages and multiple die sets, since a
large variety of different shapes can be made in bending
process.
4. Operating a press brake could be the most difficult task
in a metal-fabricating shop. It requires a highly trained
operator with hundreds of hours of training and
experience to tackle the ever-increasing amount of
precision required. Mistakes are costly and usually lead
to the metal being scrapped.
5. >> What Are Bend Allowances?
6. Bend allowance comes from the fact that when
sheet metal is bent, the inside surface of the bend is
compressed and the outer surface of the
bend is stretched.
So, when we want a 90 degree bend in which one panel side
has a length of A, and the other panel side has a length of B,
the total length of the flat piece will NOT be A+B, but rather
equals A+B plus a bend allowance or A+B minus a bend
deduction(depending on how we measure A and B).
Lets look at the illustrations below.

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So bend allowance is a term which describes how much

material is needed between two panels to accommodate a
given bend. Determining bend allowance is commonly
referred to as bend development or simply development.

>> Get the Correct Bend Allowance with a Test Piece

Bend allowance is fairly easy to predict and calculate for most
standard circumstances, but it can turn out to be tricky for
some cases. So it is always a good idea to make a test piece
for your bend allowance test before investing into costly
tooling or production parts.
One of the easiest way to make a test piece is to shear a
piece to an exact length, and then form it using the exact
process that will be used to create the part. After the part is
formed, the part is measured and compared to the expected
lengths and the bend allowance is adjusted as needed.

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While most bend allowances can be predicted with ease and

will develop correctly, there is no perfectly scientific method
for predicting bend allowance due to the many factors like
tooling conditions, actual vs. planned thickness, forming
method and the given part tolerance. Most companies will
develop their bend allowances based on standard formulas,
standard forming practices and historical trial and error.
These bend allowances can be measured for many materials
and scenarios and then tabulated so that the table can be
used by CAD programs (such as Solidworks, Pro-Engineer,
Autodesk Inventor, etc) to produce accurate sheet metal
work.
>> What is K-factor?
As we explained in bend allowance, when sheet metal is bent,
the inside surface of the bend is compressed and the outer
surface is stretched, but somewhere within the thickness of
the metal lies its Neutral Axis, which is a line in the metal
that is neither compressed nor stretched.
The location of the neutral line varies depending on the
material itself, the radius of the bend, the ambient
temperature, direction of the material grain, and the method
by which it is being bent, etc. The location of this neutral line
is referred to as the K-factor.
Many CAD programs also work out bend allowances
automatically by using K-factor calculations.
K-factor is a ratio that represents the location of the neutral
line with respect to the thickness of the sheet metal. Lets
take a look at the following illustration.

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Bend allowances are

calculated using a K-factor as follows. This formula is pretty
accurate and straight forward. However, the problem is that
we need to know the correct K-factor first. We will check out
how to get the K-factor by reverse engineering.

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Some Usefull Sites.

Following are some of theIndian industries supplying
standards parts used in sheet metal.
Silver line Metal Engineering Pvt Ltd.
Misumi India.
(http;//misumi-ec.com/press)
Emerson Electric Company India Pvt Ltd.
(http//www.ridig india.com)
www.guptmetals.com
www.goelsteel.com
www.exporters .com

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