Bending 45 degree in 6061 alum

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Is it possible to put a 45 degree bend in a sheet of 6061 aluminum in either 1/8" or 3/16" without cracking?
Reply:I have bent plenty of it without cracking. Try and keep you bend radius a little bigger.
Reply:You can do that, or a lot of people who bend tight angles often run a grinder or blade across the sheet. Allows a tighter angle to be bent, with less deformation.
Reply:I've done 45° with decent success, 90 will almost always break. Like mentioned keep the bend radius large. 5052 is better for bending...AWS 17.1, D1.1 and ASME IX (GTAW)Miller Syncrowave 350LX, Maxstar 150sth, Maxstar 200DX and  Millermatic 252 w/ Spoolmatic 30aMiller buzz box with Lincolin TombstoneThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38
Reply:Ive done the slice wit grinder and bend trick. It eventually cracked during use. Im wondering what other options i have. Do they make 45* angle iron in aluminum?  That would keep me from bending. If not. Is therr an alternative to 6061 that will bend better?  It needs to keep a tight radius for this application. Attached Images
Reply:Do need strength, stiffness or corrosion resistance?  Here are the common alloys.  3003 H14 - 17 KSI yield, ~1t bend radius for 45 deg, good corrosion resistance5052 H32 - 23 KSI yield, ~2t bend radius for 45 deg, excellent corrosion resistance6061 T6 - 35 KSI yield, ~4t bend radius, good corrosion resistanceIncreasing the thickness from 1/8 to 3/16 in any alloy will increase the stiffness 3x.Dynasty 300DXSmith He/Ar gas mixerMM350PHobart Handler 120Smith LW7, MW5, AW1A
Reply:I was taught to heat the area to be bent with oxy before bending.  Seems to help.  Doesn't need to be extremely hot.Miller Syncrowave 350Millermatic 252/ 30A spoolgunMiller Bobcat 225g w/ 3545 spoolgunLincoln PowerArc4000Lincoln 175 Mig  Lincoln 135 Mig Everlast 250EX TigCentury ac/dc 230 amp stickVictor O/AHypertherm 1000 plasma
Reply:Originally Posted by 4sfedDo need strength, stiffness or corrosion resistance?  Here are the common alloys.  3003 H14 - 17 KSI yield, ~1t bend radius for 45 deg, good corrosion resistance5052 H32 - 23 KSI yield, ~2t bend radius for 45 deg, excellent corrosion resistance6061 T6 - 35 KSI yield, ~4t bend radius, good corrosion resistanceIncreasing the thickness from 1/8 to 3/16 in any alloy will increase the stiffness 3x.
Reply:Ive heated 6061 parts with the O/A torch before running them through on the press brake, I forget what temp I brought them up to, maybe 600? we annealed the aluminum, so after we brought it to 600, bent it, then brought it up to 900 degrees and quenched in water to reharden it.This will not bring back the original properties of the 6061, but it will hopefully not crack while you bend it!Miller Spoolmate 200 w/t S-52 WirefeederMM 211'09 Miller Trailblazer 302
Reply:You can temporarily increase the elongation of 6061 T6 by heating up to 400 degrees for short periods (15-30 minutes) without affecting its room temperature properties.  Also, bending across the grain will improve the chances of a crack-free bend.  What about making a 45 degree angle from 3003 and using it to mechanically join flat sheets of 6061?  That way you would maintain the same finish and color as the rest of the vehicle.Dynasty 300DXSmith He/Ar gas mixerMM350PHobart Handler 120Smith LW7, MW5, AW1A