press brake accessories

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I have made up a few little tools that come in handy when operating a press brake.  Some people who run one might use the ideas or modify to suit their needs.  The pointer I have sketched is very handy to locate your hit mark when using large radius upper dies. Attached Images
Reply:I'm having trouble with the gooseneck die .. That's for bending a channel at the edge of the sheet/bar??
Reply:Originally Posted by SandyI'm having trouble with the gooseneck die .. That's for bending a channel at the edge of the sheet/bar??
Reply:The goosenecks are used for double bends close to edges as guessed.  They are very handy for making tool box door edges etc.  They are also very fragile and not meant for heavy work.  Breaking the eight times rule was risky.   In the Eighties I made a variety of stuff for an outfit that made heavy equipment cabs.  http://www.foremost.ca/index.php  The inside door piece for this machine was 15 hits and 8 dies changes.  I would make five RH and five LH at a time.  It took most of the night.
Reply:Lotech - I like those tracked vehicles that Foremost makes.John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:Originally Posted by MicroZoneLotech - I like those tracked vehicles that Foremost makes.
Reply:Different people have different ways of spinning four way dies or to remove standard lower dies.  Drilling the ends and threading the holes allows one to put bolts in the ends.  At least half inch is needed depending on the size of die.  Some use a chain with keyhole plates which I prefer.  Others use a plate with two keyholes in it.  The plate is more difficult to loop into the upper frame and the die ends when you are alone.  Dies changes can eat up a lot of time as well as being dangerous if you don't have a system. Attached Images
Reply:I hate changing out dies.  Especially the one made for 1/4" mat.  It'd be nice to have a 4-way.  Has anyone else heard a die blow out?  Bad sound, ain't it.DewayneDixieland WeldingMM350PLincoln 100Some torchesOther misc. tools
Reply:When I was a novice I thought I had backed off the upper ram enough then cycled my mechanical around to lift the upper die.  I had not backed off enough and stepped on the pedal hard.  I split about two feet of over 90 die.  It was like a gunshot.  That was the last time I cycled fast through the bottom.  I sometimes had to remove the bolster block and put on the fourway then change back.  It was not fun with only two people and no forklift.
Reply:Your keyhole plates for rotating the lower 4-way dies are similar to what came with the Cinncinnati 750 Ton x 20' brake that my former employer got new in the mid- 70's. It also came with uppers like in your illustrations. We pulled the lower 4-way out sideways to change it.
Reply:I have heard of someone blowing out a die and the piece going through a concrete wall.  That would be a sobering experience.DewayneDixieland WeldingMM350PLincoln 100Some torchesOther misc. tools
Reply:At extreme forces not only can dies fail but alloy plates can shatter.  With only a year on a press brake I was asked to form 3/8 AR ( abrasion resistant) plate into a trough with two sharp ninetys.  I set it up the plate pinching down then moved my foot control as far as I could away from the plate and to the side.  My helper asked me why I was moving.  On my advice he also moved.   The machine had enough hydraulics ( 250 ton) to do the job but you could hear the plate crack as it bent to the angle.   Several days later I mentioned the job to an old timer who told me that years before an operator had been decapitated when an AR plate shattered in front of him.  He told me to never form AR plate thicker than 1/4 and do that with great care.     I realized that was why the customer had gotten us to do the forming when he had the cutting done two hundred miles away.  We were the only shop around stupid enough to take the risk.
Reply:Yikes, scary stuff. I only work around tiny stuff, not big huge multi-hundred ton machines like you lucky bastages. John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:Originally Posted by lotechmanAt extreme forces not only can dies fail but alloy plates can shatter.  With only a year on a press brake I was asked to form 3/8 AR ( abrasion resistant) plate into a trough with two sharp ninetys.  I set it up the plate pinching down then moved my foot control as far as I could away from the plate and to the side.  My helper asked me why I was moving.  On my advice he also moved.   The machine had enough hydraulics ( 250 ton) to do the job but you could hear the plate crack as it bent to the angle.   Several days later I mentioned the job to an old timer who told me that years before an operator had been decapitated when an AR plate shattered in front of him.  He told me to never form AR plate thicker than 1/4 and do that with great care.     I realized that was why the customer had gotten us to do the forming when he had the cutting done two hundred miles away.  We were the only shop around stupid enough to take the risk.
Reply:I don't know if you mentioned Chris?? Use a bottom die that has a Vee opening of 8 times the material thickness.  I have been forced to violate this rule on occasion.   Sometimes there is a chart to guide you on the side of the machine.  It gives tonnages as well as recommended dies.
Reply:My former employer would form hawsepipes from 1" thick AR plate. We did break a few!  The pieces sure do fly nice! We also rolled sheaves for the arresting gear cables. 6-12" wide by 4 to 6" thick, rolled to about 2-6 to 3-0 ID.