Bending 1/8" aluminum diamond plate

Tue, 31 Aug 2021 10:05:45 GMT

go to see Welding Machine for Bending 1/8" aluminum diamond plate

Hi everyone, I'm looking to build a brake to bend 1/8" 3003 aluminum diamond plate. I'm thinking I need to avoid a press brake because I don't want to scratch the material. Will a pan type brake be better?Campbell Hausfeld Fluxcore 80Thermal Arc 185Millermatic 250JD Squared model 32 bender
Reply:You might consider covering the dies with self adhesive UHMW tape. Or using sacrificial sheets of thin gage plastic or aluminum between the diamond plate and dies.
Reply:Hello qtcway, any bending system will "scuff" the bend areas unless there are provisions to protect the material being formed from the scuffing action of the system. This is an inherent result of bending. As has been mentioned: sacrificial plastics or other materials that will not scratch the material are commonplace. If you look at many stainless steel formed parts you will often see the white protective coating that is on the material when you start working with it and removed after forming and other fabrication processes have taken place. Die sets for high-end forming machines will often have the die portion of the die set made from either a high-strength low-deformation plastic or rubber compound. If you have access to a thick card stock or other form of heavy kraft paper you could possibly use that too. Experimentation is often a good way to go in determining what you can use without breaking your bank and still achieving the results you are looking for. Good luck and regards, Allanaevald
Reply:I believe you can buy urethane dies for press brakes, but I have never used them.
Reply:I have bent it in the past with my 12 gage Chicago D&K finger brake. It worked pretty well. I never found scuffing to be a big problem, as the brake touches on top of the diamonds, not on the shiny polished plate part. I did find that radius is a bigger concern- depends on the alloy, of course, but 1/8" wants a bigger radius than most small hand brakes are set up for- if you have a 16 gage brake, it will bend thicker stuff to a radius that can be tight enough that you might get cracks.You should be able to do this easily with a 12 gage brake, but you might want to make a radiused nose bar.
Reply:1/8" sheet (not diamondplate) 6061-t6 requires a minimum of 2.5 X radius, or 5/16"r for 90* bend.Last edited by ezduzit; 10-02-2015 at 09:08 PM.
Reply:Thanks everyone. I'll keep try to do a little more research and if anyone else has any helpful information, I would appreciate it.Campbell Hausfeld Fluxcore 80Thermal Arc 185Millermatic 250JD Squared model 32 bender