How would you guys create a die for this?

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I need to stamp a bunch of aluminum plates.Basically in a strected U. Out of 1/8th Aluminum sheetIts 3" from the top the ends have a 1" Radius on them. its also 4.5" wideI need like 800.
Reply:I can see a number of ways to do this. Someone with a big press could bend an 8' length in 2 shots to get the profile needed, the cut to length on the band saw.My buddys press has a stop and DRO. Shear parts to size on the iron worker, the insert side one, press, flip, insert side 2, press and repeat. His iron worker might do the same thing as well.You could probably fab a special die for the big press to do it all in one shot, but I doubt you'd save time on such a small run. The time and expense to build the die would be more than just doing it one at a time most likely. With the machines set with stops, it'd be tough for even his laborer to screw it up..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:Originally Posted by socoj2I need to stamp a bunch of aluminum plates.Basically in a strected U. Out of 1/8th Aluminum sheetIts 3" from the top the ends have a 1" Radius on them. its also 4.5" wideI need like 800.
Reply:If its just a basic U shape it shouldnt be hard at all to make a simple die for a brake, we've done it before for a variety of pieces.  Basically 2 pieces of round bar spaced a certain distance apart and half of a pipe below and a piece of round for the top die.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:Shouldn't be too hard to do. You're prolly going to have to make more than one tho to figure out for springback. It'll look similar to a weld test bend coupon.....Mike
Reply:What sort of machine would you be using to form these?Would the die set be welded up out of structural steel  orassembled with machined die details?Miller a/c-d/c Thunderbolt XLMillermatic 180 Purox O/ASmith Littletorch O/AHobart Champion Elite
Reply:I need appox 1152 of these actually. I dont have a lot of high end equipment i have a 20 ton press but that is about it.So im trying to find the most economical way to do it.I had hoped that i could get it done in long pieces and then cut it to size on my own but i was thinking sheet rolling but apparently you can roll sheet that large like this especially for such a small radius.
Reply:1-Presumably the side view-you do not depict is:4.500 longthe side corners are sharp-not radiused???  you state 1.000 radius. If this is so, the radius is notlocated properly in the drawing.     ????  is this radius to the outer or inner surface??.....(little things mean a lot-sometimes)2-More stupid questions:?what tolerances are to be held??what is the inside radius and it's tolerance??what grade and temper of aluminum??what are the surface finish requirements--scratches,marks, strain cracks and dings okay? or.......??what is the end use of the item, especially concerningtolerances for FORM, FIT AND FUNCTION?.......establishing what's really needed for form, fit and function can save all mannerof time and ha$$le---especially if you're supplying the parts to outside sourcewho is limited in the clue department and not using these parts for your ownassemblies.Last edited by dave powelson; 08-08-2010 at 01:59 PM.Reason: additionBlackbird
Reply:Why not just create a die out of pipe, cut your 1152 pieces and hammer to shape? The longest part would be cutting all the pieces but you understood that when you took the job. Figure a few hours cutting the pieces, assuming you are able to create a simple routine and then another few hours placing on die and hammering to shape. Thats how I would do it, if I lacked the big fancy equipment :P25 years of age.Been welding since Feb 23rd 2009.LU1007 Millwright (A1)
Reply:Ok i totally screwed up that first drawing...This is me attempting to build a cheap version of a M1 abrams track pad cheaply...the following picture should help out. These items are for my personal use will not be resold and have no commercial value. As such i dont really care what condition or tolerance the get made in.I was planning on doing 6061 or 6063 sheet, it has to be weldable.There are 3 tubes welded together and this is the outer plate that wraps everything up.
Reply:thats pretty much how I would do it, Made a drawing just like that on lined paper, was going to do it on the comp and post it but figured it was too easy an idea to put forth the effort.25 years of age.Been welding since Feb 23rd 2009.LU1007 Millwright (A1)
Reply:Looking at it like that, and assuming that the corners are square and not radiused it would be best to get 10ft lengths bent by someone with a CNC brake and then bandsaw them to length.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:Originally Posted by sn0border88Looking at it like that, and assuming that the corners are square and not radiused it would be best to get 10ft lengths bent by someone with a CNC brake and then bandsaw them to length.
Reply:Ok, Since your not building a rocket........How about finding a length of tube with the right wall thickness, and diameter. Cut slices the right width and then split the slices in to two halves. bend open each half and hammer the middle to give you the amount of flat area you need in the middle.OR........ buy flat bar stock, cut the pieces to length and bend the radius around a piece of pipe by hand. Easy peasyCNC press.......pffft200amp Air Liquide MIG, Hypertherm Plasma, Harris torches, Optrel helmet, Makita angle grinders, Pre-China Delta chop saw and belt sander, Miller leathers, shop made jigs etc, North- welders backpack.
Reply:You guys suggesting a hammer and pipe, you do realize that he wants 1100 of these right?  Im all for low buck solutions, but thats just plain stupid.  You could hammer away for a few days and still not have all of them done.And yes I understand it will be getting bent with the grain, but from the OP's descruption of his requirements it doesnt seem like it would be an issue.I guess if it were, next best solution would be to get 4.5" flat stock sheared to individual lengths and bent.  But then you just increased the labor of bending them by about 2600%.1 10ft length yields 26 pieces when cut to length.  So either bending 44 10ft sections and stack cutting <5 at once, or shearing and bending individual pieces 1152 times.  Doing the math, you would need 5 4x10 sheets, with only a portion of one sheet being used.  Matl cost isnt very high at all, labor is going to be the killer.Last edited by sn0border88; 08-08-2010 at 09:46 PM.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:Originally Posted by bert the welderOk, Since your not building a rocket........How about finding a length of tube with the right wall thickness, and diameter. Cut slices the right width and then split the slices in to two halves. bend open each half and hammer the middle to give you the amount of flat area you need in the middle.OR........ buy flat bar stock, cut the pieces to length and bend the radius around a piece of pipe by hand. Easy peasyCNC press.......pffft
Reply:Just throwing out some low-tek ideas sn0. If one doesn't have the machines, nor cash, anything that gets it done will doNot a lot of effort in my and wagin method, just some time. I have a bending jig in mind that would do the trick, but couldn't start to describe it with out pictures of it. 200amp Air Liquide MIG, Hypertherm Plasma, Harris torches, Optrel helmet, Makita angle grinders, Pre-China Delta chop saw and belt sander, Miller leathers, shop made jigs etc, North- welders backpack.