Press Brake Bending

Press brake bending forms precise angles and flanges in sheet metal using matched tooling, ideal for prismatic parts with straight bends and repeatable geometry.

Overview

Press brake bending forms sheet metal by clamping it between a punch and die to create straight bends, flanges, and channels. It handles a wide range of gauges and materials, from thin aluminum to thick carbon steel, with consistent, repeatable results. The process excels at parts with multiple linear bends, such as brackets, enclosures, and chassis.

Choose press brake bending for low to high production volumes when you need accurate angles, good dimensional control, and flexibility in part sizes. Setup is relatively quick, and tooling libraries at most shops cover common radii, V-dies, and punches, keeping costs down. Limitations include difficulty with very small flanges, tight bend-to-hole distances, complex compound curves, and extremely tight angular tolerances without special tooling and extra setup time. Warping, springback, and cosmetic marking from tooling need to be managed through design choices and clear specifications.

Common Materials

  • Cold rolled steel
  • Stainless steel 304
  • Aluminum 5052
  • Aluminum 6061
  • Galvanized steel

Tolerances

±0.010" on linear dimensions and ±0.5° on bend angles typical for well-fixtured parts; tighter possible with dedicated tooling and process controls.

Applications

  • Electrical and electronic enclosures
  • Mounting brackets and angle brackets
  • Racks, cabinets, and drawer bodies
  • Machine guards and covers
  • Chassis, channels, and frames

When to Choose Press Brake Bending

Use press brake bending for sheet metal parts with straight bends, consistent thickness, and moderate geometric complexity where you need repeatable angles and good dimensional control. It fits prototype through production volumes and is especially efficient when multiple parts share similar bend setups.

vs Roll Bending

Choose press brake bending when your part needs discrete, straight bends and flat sections instead of large sweeping arcs or cylinders. It offers better control of flange lengths, angles, and sharp profiles, making it preferable for brackets, enclosures, and frames where prismatic geometry and tighter dimensional tolerances matter.

vs Hemming

Choose press brake bending when you only need standard bends and flanges, not fully closed hems or safety edges. It is faster and simpler for structural bends, while hemming is more specialized for folded edges that improve stiffness, remove sharp edges, or trap other components.

vs Stamping

Choose press brake bending when volumes are low to medium or when you need flexibility to iterate designs without investing in hard tooling. Press brakes use standard punches and dies, so you avoid the cost and lead time of custom stamping dies while still achieving precise bends in a wide range of part sizes.

vs CNC Machining

Choose press brake bending when the part can be made from flat sheet with formed bends instead of hogging geometry from solid stock. You will typically get lower material usage, shorter cycle times, and more economical production for brackets, panels, and housings that do not require complex 3D contours or thick solid sections.

vs Panel Bending

Choose press brake bending when part volumes are modest or geometries vary, and you do not want the higher capital and tooling complexity of panel benders. Press brakes handle a broader mix of sizes and one-off jobs efficiently, especially when you can accept manual part handling and slightly longer cycle times per bend.

Design Considerations

  • Keep material thickness consistent within the part to avoid variable bend behavior and simplify tooling and setup
  • Use inside bend radii at least equal to material thickness, and align them with common tooling radii to avoid special tools
  • Maintain minimum flange lengths of at least 3× material thickness and generally not less than half the V-die opening to ensure proper forming
  • Keep holes, slots, and cutouts at least 1.5–2× material thickness away from bend lines to reduce distortion and cracking
  • Clearly mark critical dimensions (e.g., hole-to-bend, bend-to-bend) and specify angle tolerances only where functionally necessary to control cost
  • Provide flat patterns with bend lines, bend directions, and bend angles called out, and indicate grain direction for materials sensitive to cracking like aluminum