Cost to brake 96" x 3/8 plate?

admin

Hello,I am thinking of acquiring materials to build a 96" box blade.  I'd need to put several brakes lengthwise in 96" x 1/4 to 3/8 plate.  I'm within driving distance of a large city so I figure there are shops that can do this.  Any thoughts on a ballpark price for several brakes if I bring my own scrap plate (but cleaned with a flap disc)?  If I ran across the right piece of 7/16 or 1/2 does that reduce the number of shops with a capable brake? Thanks,
Reply:Put your location on your profile. If your at a port city things might not be too bad. I would definitely make sure the entire plate is relatively clean and not just the bends.Arcon Workhorse 300MSPowcon 400SMTPowcon SM400 x 2Powcon SM3001968 SA200 Redface1978 SA250 DieselMiller Super 32P FeederPre 1927 American 14" High Duty LatheK&T Milwaukee 2H Horizontal MillBryan
Reply:I seriously doubt you will ever find a shop that has a brake large enough and powerful enough to brake 96" of ⅜ material that also functions as a job shop.  why not cut and weld?
Reply:Hello AmericanWelder, we have an 8'x175 ton press brake, bending 8' of 3/8" plate is the limit of our machine based on a "minimum bend radius" and mild steel rating. A minimum bend radius is the "suggested" combination of nose radius on the press brake punch and the width of the bottom die opening. Even under-rated press brakes can bend thicker materials so long as the nose radius of the top punch can support the bend without failure and the opening of the bottom die is large enough to allow for reduced tonnage requirements while bending due to the wider bottom opening.Google press brake tonnage charts, I believe you will be able to figure out what I am saying above. You will see that they list various thicknesses of steel and different bottom die openings, corresponding upper punch radius's and resulting tonnage requirements. Bottom Line: lesser tonnage requirements provide larger bend radius's, higher tonnage requirements yield smaller bend radius's.There is a lot that goes into forming metals with press brakes. I could go on for a very long time discussing many of the nuances, as could a lot of others on this site.  Do a bit of research and reading and best of luck on your project. Regards, AllanPS should you opt to go with the 7/16 or 1/2" material a 250 Ton Brake that is 8 ft. or longer could make the bends for your project, likely, proper die/punch selection is required along with tonnage ability.aevald
Reply:Maybe I'm thinking of the wrong thing, but the box scraper on our old Kuboa wasn't made of 3/8". The blade itself ( which is what I think you want to "bend" using the brake) was maybe 1/8" or 3/16" at best except at the very bottom where the cutting edge was..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:As DSW intimated...What are you planning to pull/push this blade with? I don't think the old D4 cat I used to have had a blade 3/8" thick. Unless you have a serious need for that kind of weight I would look at a lighter plate and reinforce it from the back.If you plan to use a cutting edge at the bottom that will substantially stiffen the blade. You might want to peruse the stuff that is available in the marketplace to see what others have used to do something similar.---Meltedmetal
Reply:Originally Posted by MeltedmetalAs DSW intimated...What are you planning to pull/push this blade with? I don't think the old D4 cat I used to have had a blade 3/8" thick. Unless you have a serious need for that kind of weight I would look at a lighter plate and reinforce it from the back.If you plan to use a cutting edge at the bottom that will substantially stiffen the blade. You might want to peruse the stuff that is available in the marketplace to see what others have used to do something similar.---Meltedmetal
Reply:You can always build a box on top to fill with whatever you can find for down pressure or find some heavy scrap and weld it on. I've seen some guys use concrete for weight. Don't know where you are but if any shops around you are doing stuff with big pipe or tanks, sometimes you can find a piece you can cut a curved piece out of. There used to be a place near me that was overlaying pipe for the oil industry and the 20" and 24" was about 1/2" thick. That is a bit too much curve for your purpose I think but if you are motivated you probably can beat it flatter with a big sledge. It is easier to remove the curve than it is to put it in or stick a block under it to keep it from going too far,park some thing heavy on it and beat or heat it.--- Meltedmetal
Reply:Originally Posted by MeltedmetalYou can always build a box on top to fill with whatever you can find for down pressure or find some heavy scrap and weld it on. I've seen some guys use concrete for weight.