What is CNC bending and how does it work?

What is CNC bending?

Bending is one of the most common manufacturing methods for forming sheet metal and tubes, which are then used to manufacture various components.

CNC bending, also known as CNC forming, is the process of reshaping sheet metal from a flat shape. CNC stands for "Computer Numerical Control" and is essentially a mechanical tool that combines a computer numerical control system with a hydraulic press brake.

Generally speaking, CNC bending machines are driven by hydraulic or electrical systems. Equipped with a computer numerical control system, the bending machine can effectively and accurately bend metal materials into various required profiles. Hydraulic bending machines account for most of the use of bending equipment. It is the most widely used bending equipment in the bending industry.

What is involved in the CNC bending process?

The basic working principle of the bending machine is to drive the slider to move through the power device of different mechanisms.

At preset bending angles, the upper and lower dies can bend the sheet metal into different profiles.

The bending machine consists of a base bed and a top rail or beam. A chevron (or die) sits on the bottom bed and a punch tool sits on the top rail. The size and angle of the V and punch depends on the thickness of the sheet metal to be used and the geometry of the desired bend. Once the machine is running, the punch presses the metal into the V and forms the shape.

Modern machines usually have a fixed bed and a top rail on a downstroke, although some machines are constructed the other way around, with the bed moving in the direction of the upstroke. Either way, you can achieve the same result.

The CNC press brake has a programmable console where data (numbers) can be entered. This controls the position of the tailgate, which in turn controls the height and length of each bend. It also quickly changes the height between the bottom bed and top rail, allowing you to easily remove parts after molding. The beauty of this technology is that once the console is programmed, you can form multiple bends repeatedly and accurately (to a tolerance of a few microns).

Which industries use CNC bending?

With the continuous development of science and technology, mechanical bending machines, hydraulic bending machines and electric bending machines have entered the market one after another. At present, bending machines are widely used in various fields of processing and production to improve production efficiency. Many industries benefit greatly from the time and labor cost savings and high-quality components produced by the CNC bending process.

Bending machines are mainly used in metal processing and manufacturing in aerospace, automotive, shipbuilding industry, agriculture, energy, military, transportation and other fields.

PHMTOOLS CNC Bending Process Capabilities

At PHMTOOLS, we have 5 models of CNC bending machines that can be machined into various angles and radii, such as triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, rings, many other polygons, etc.

One machine replaces 15 labors, which can save 300 dollars a day, and save the wages of buying a machine a month.

We have the ability to produce your components to meet your requirements with cost effective speed and lead time!