Bending 18 Gauge Sheet Metal

Bends metal up to 18 in.

Bending 18 gauge sheet metal. You will use the protractor to gauge the brake as you bend the metal little by little. For example in one gauge system 18 gauge steel. Makes bends to 90º. The diagram shows one such mechanism.

For example 18 gauge steel according to a gauge conversion chart is 0 0478 inch or 1 214 millimeter. Handles material as thick as 16 gauge. There are several different gauge systems used today with specific gauge designations used for specific metal types. How to bend sheet metal without a brake.

Determine the angle at which you want to brake the metal and mark it on the protractor. Refer to the chart for values for folder as well as various press brake tooling combinations. You will need to know your material thickness mt the bend angle b the inside radius ir and the k factor k. π 180 x b x ir k x mt bend allowance ba where b is the angle complementary to your desired bend angle 1 to 180 degrees mt is the thickness of the material ir is the inside radius and k is the k factor.

The material thickness will be measured in decimal form not by the gauge number. Sheet metal bend strength i m looking for information on sheet metal steel and bending characteristics. Use the minimum bend dimension values in the charts below for your minimum closeness of cutout to a bend. The bend allowance formula takes into account the geometries of bending and the properties of your metal to determine the bend allowance.

Showing how i bend steel plate without using a brake. Cut the section of metal out or otherwise prepare the metal to be bent by removing any burrs or sharp edges. Easily clamps or mounts to workbench. The average hack requires at least one angled metal part and the best tool to make one is still the good ol press brake.

The gauge number 18 holds no relevance to the actual measurements. Geometry of tooling imposes a minimum bend dimension.