Throughout the history of metal manufacturing, many different methods have been developed to fabricate various types of materials and form distinctive components. Methods such as cutting, bending, punching and shearing are applied to create the essential products used in different production industries that make human life easier and better. 

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Since the arrival of the digital age, traditional metal processing methods have been experiencing a revolutionary change. The introduction of automated technology has heralded a new era in manufacturing that helps fabricators produce with precision and quality. With all the benefits revealed in the light of industry 4.0, the metal processing game is developing vastly. Speaking as a top-of-the-industry automation metal processing company, AMP has used automation to secure superior quality in production.

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Overall, our CNC press brake metal bending service is one of the best in the industry.

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A press brake is a type of machinery applied in metal bending fabrication. It is composed of a set of punch and dies components that perform predetermined bends with pressure. Applying metal bending with a press brake offers better precision, flexibility and throughput.

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To help clients in metal processing industries better understand the benefit of having their metal bending needs satisfied with a press brake metal bender, we have compiled the following points that not only reveal differences between various metal bending techniques but also elaborate on why a press brake bender is the best choice.

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What is Sheet Metal Bending?

Sheet metal bending is a metal fabrication technique and operation that involves changing the shape of a sheet using force and creating different forms of components such as box, pipe or metal with a streamlined shape. 

The use of metal bending can be found on the exterior of constructions, iron beams in housing, friction design on ladders and many more.

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The two most used types of sheet metal bending machines in the industry are the press brake bender and folding machine. These two methods work with different concepts. Press brake benders apply vertical pressure with the component of a punch and die set to create a downward force to bend the metal. Folding machines position metal on the operating plate and serve an upward force to fold the sheet metal. Both methods bend metal effectively but also offer different advantages or restrictions due to their working mechanisms.

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Advantage #1: Press Brakes Are Remarkably Efficient

Press brakes are an efficient tool for sheet metal bending. Combining with the CNC system, press brake benders process metal with high accuracy and productivity. The function of communicating with visualisation data makes the scientific calculation and adjustments more quick and direct. Its highly professional build-in system allows fabricators to program and modify the fabrication plan. It also integrates with multiple compensation functions that adapt rapidly to different situations and speed up the general operating time. 

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Modern press brake machines allow the operator to produce significantly more bends than older press brakes. The non-computerised machines produced about 600 bends per hour, but with the integration of CNC, press brakes can produce up to 900 per hour.

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Advantage #2: Press Brakes Can be Automated

Press brake benders are an excellent choice to integrate with an automated system. With innovative gripper technology and handling equipment, press brake benders can achieve full automated operation. After fabricators insert the digital setting of projects into the CNC system, the robotic gripper moves the sheet metal quickly into position and removes it after bending. The gripper system can grab material up to 100 kg and efficiently place it in a precise position for later processing. Automated metal bending not only offers efficiency in production but also makes the whole process safer and employee-friendly.

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Advantage #3: Press Brakes Are Capable of Complex Forming

Press brakes bend material with a vertical pressure applied downward. Fabricators insert material with different positions, sides or angles to bend the metal in different directions or depths. This method is suitable for more complex designs since there are more applications available for operators. 

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With the help of CNC and gripper technology, press brakes can maintain high accuracy during operation. Thus, press brakes are a bending option that is capable of complex forming. As such, this option is ideal for custom-made solutions in metal processing, as the bending machinery gets the unique shapes just right on a superior level to its counterparts.

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Advantage #4: Press Brakes Reduce Material Wastage

One of the advantages of press brake benders is their broad application in shaping different types of metal and distinctive operation plans. Some sheet metal bending machines require up to 15 parts of components to be changed between operations. This obligatory adjustment elevates the workload and operation time. The change in components brings uncertainty in metal bending, resulting in more variation and material waste. CNC press brake benders have a wide range of uses, reducing time and material waste significantly.

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Advantage #5: Press Brakes Require a Minor Bending Radius

The folding machine requires a bigger working space because of its working mechanism of bending metal. The operating range required for a folding machine depends on the size of the metal and the position of bending. This creates a significant disadvantage because lots of the working projects for metal fabrication are from heavy industries or construction. Also, the folding plate of the machine needs to be adjusted and recalculated every time there’s a new project, which takes a lot of processing time. 

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Contrarily, press brake benders are much more flexible. The adjustment for operation is fully conducted by the CNC system. Fabricators can manually insert the raw material according to the angle or side required. For the safety concern of operating with bigger objects, the robotic arm and gripper system can easily overcome any obstacle during operation. As such, press brakes offer more resilience and demand less processing time.

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Advantage #6: Press Brakes Can Bend Larger Objects

Because of the mechanism applied behind the folding machine, its operation is limited to the size of the material, especially when compared to press brake benders. Press brakes bend metal with a punch and die set after the fabricator inserts materials. With a proper applicator, more tonnage and linear footing, press brake operators can take on larger projects than their counterparts can.

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Advantage #7: Press Brakes Are More Versatile

Compared to other methods, press brakes are more versatile because of their ability to work with a wide range of materials. They bend almost all kinds of materials in various thicknesses with the correct setting of pressure and angle. This makes press brake benders an excellent option for use in manufacturing since they satisfy any type of request from clients’ designs. This is also amplified by the use of modern smart technology (like CNC), ensuring that press brakes create better bends much faster, no matter the project.

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Advantage #8: Press Brakes Aid a Wide Range of Applications

With different settings, press brakes can do more than just bend metal. Hemming is one of the extensional uses of press brake benders. This is a technique in metal fabrication where a fabricator bends the edge of the metal 180 degrees and makes it join itself, creating a thicker and stronger structure. Press brake benders also easily form a series of punching marks on materials. With a suitable punch set, press brake benders to punch a consistent line of holes with just one move. This is an efficient and accurate way to add friction to the structure.

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Press brake metal bending is ideal for clients with various metal processing (bending) needs, as it ensures that the client doesn’t need to find substitutional solutions later. The press brake will take care of all bending needs, both typical and custom.

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Advantage #9: Press Brakes Can Create Different Obliquities

Press brake benders work with multiple sets of punches and die. By changing combinations, press brake benders can bend various types of material with a distinctive shape. Common shapes of the upper die applied in the press brake bender are V bend, U bend and Z bend. These distinctive dies bend metal and form different shapes of bending connections like a sharp angle, a wider base or a Z-shape twist. On the contrary, the bending shape of a folding machine is more limited and simple.

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Related Searches

What is a CNC Press Brake?

Generally, CNC press brakes are the result of press brake bending equipment where a computerised system has been integrated. They offer the benefits of wide application in material and diverse projects while being equipped with advanced computer technology that adapts various coding forms and modifies during operation to reduce variations. 

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What Machine Tools Can be Used to Bend Metal?

There are several choices of metal benders available such as box/pan folder, steel/iron worker and roll benders. Different types of metal benders have distinctive advantages and restrictions that allow them to work on particular types of materials. Compared to others, CNC press brake benders triumph on several levels, such as efficiency, quality, flexibility and resilience.

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Key Takeaways

1. Sheet metal bending is a technique used to change the angle and shape of metal. Metal benders transform thin and flat raw material into box, pipe or streamlined sheet metal. This is an ideal technique to make 2D material into 3D components. 
2. There are various types of metal benders. Different types of metal benders come with different advantages and restrictions regarding their working mechanism. Press brake benders work with s punch and die to create a vertical force for metal bending. This is an efficient and accurate method with a wide range of applications.
3. The introduction of automated technology not only greatly elevates precision, consistency and productivity of production but also expands the applicability for different projects and the safety of operators.  
4. AMP is a top professional metal processing company in the industry. We offer different metal processing services, i.e. laser cutting, metal bending, robotic welding and CNC. We apply CNC press brakes in our fabrication service to ensure the quality and efficiency of our work and deliver the best results for our clients. 

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Do you have more questions about sheet metal bending and fabrication? Do you want to know what kind of metal fabrication plan is suitable for your project? At AMP, we offer a free consultation to help our clients better understand their options and save them the trouble of searching for information. Contact us today and book a quote to find out more.

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