Diy sheet bending drawings. Creating a sheet bending machine with your own hands. Do without a machine at all

This publication presents the development of a homemade sheet bender, which was built by a YouTube channel blogger Hot master. In his video tutorial, the master will show a sheet bending machine of his own production, designed for processing rolls of endless sheet iron. It is end-to-end and you can stretch an as long ribbon of painted metal through it as you like. This machine can be used for bending galvanized iron and other metal up to 2 millimeters thick. If the thickness is 2 millimeters, then the length of the fold cannot be more than 30-40 centimeters.

Drawings for this bending machine were found on the Internet.
The presented machine is made of channels and angles. The corners are welded into a box. This is the worker node. The clamping bar is also made from corners welded together into a box. The sheet is clamped on 2 sides, on which clamping screws are installed. However, as experience has shown, it is enough to limit oneself to one side. Valve springs are installed between the working bodies into which the sheet is clamped so that the clamping bar rises freely when the clamp is loosened.
The rotating mechanism has hinges installed. The rotation angle is more than 90 degrees. The handle is made of a shortened hardened rod and does not interfere with the worker’s movement. The iron sheet can be installed both in front from the worker’s side and from the opposite side. The lever is located horizontally, which creates additional convenience when the worker does not need to bend down to grab the handle. In addition, the surface created by the handle can be used to feed sheets into the machine. If desired, you can install an additional table on the lever, creating a flat working surface.
The opposite clamp does not have to be a quick adjustable one, it can be a simple nut that can be turned occasionally to adjust the gap.

How work works on this sheet bending machine.

After the sheet is clamped, the lever rises and with a slight movement the bend occurs. By changing the angle of the handle, you can adjust the depth of the bend. If you need to bend a full corner, then, accordingly, the lever rises more. The result is a completely smooth and straight curve. If the bending is carried out with a reserve, then the result will be even more even. The work doesn't take much time.
At the back there is a table from which the iron is fed, it is convenient to cut off the excess.
The machine can be disassembled, for example you can remove the table. The entire bending machine is disassembled into parts, so it is easy to move. When disassembled, it easily fits in the trunk of a Volga car.

Explanations on the design of the sheet bending machine

Separate sheet bending units with comments. The machine has been in use in the workshop for a long time and has shown very good results. The most basic part is the clamp. This is the device that presses the sheet of iron to the base. The better and more accurately this is done, the better and smoother the bend will be. The clamp is made from corners welded together.

The work table or base of the sheet bending machine consists of one piece. This is a channel. The longer the workpieces, the more powerful this channel should be. In this case, its length is 1.5 meters. If you plan to bend workpieces 1.5 times larger, then the channel should be installed twice as powerful.

All the main work is done using a bending bar. A massive bending lever is welded to it. The bending bar is mounted on hinges that are cut in a special way. It directly bends the iron to the desired angle.
It is recommended to orient the bending bar together with the lever so that it is horizontal. In this case, the lever should be at waist level. On many factory sheet metal benders, the lever hangs down vertically, which creates great inconvenience during operation. You have to bend down and pick it up from below each time. It is much more convenient to push from chest level, which is especially important for large volumes of work.
The lifting clamping device is a set of springs from the cylinder head of a passenger car, along with washers, rings, to center the entire device on the threaded rod. It not only presses the clamping bar, but also lifts it to the position when the upper wing nut is pressed to the desired lift level. If you leave the wing nut, the bar rises and is at a certain height. Hinges - hinges are ordinary garage hinges. The hinge should fit into the groove all the way to its axis. The axis should rise from the base by no more than 2 millimeters. The level of pressure is adjusted by a thumb, which is tightened on a pin, pressing the bar against the sheet of iron. Under the wing there is a nut to which a 6 mm wire is welded, forming a lever.

The indicated shape of the lever has been verified by a large number of works performed with its help. A large nut is placed on the stud, which is loose and not threaded. Next, put on the washer from the block head. Under no circumstances should small threads be placed at the top. It should be taken into account that if you make the lever extending horizontally from the nut, it will interfere with working with some types of workpieces. Therefore, it is better to make the form shown in the video. If you make a flywheel with two handles, as shown in some drawings, this shape will interfere with inserting and removing the workpiece.
The length of the hairpin must be adjusted. It is necessary to ensure that the thread fits completely when the thumb is turned away to the upper maximum position. So that your fingers and palms can fit at least halfway into the clamping bar. What height of lifting level of the clamping bar is required?

Bending machine drawings

Is it possible to make a box using a sheet bender?

Suppose you have a piece of galvanized steel from which you need to make a box. Skeptics believe that this is not possible with this device. However, this is not the case if we use this model. Moreover, with its maximum length equal to the width of the working machine. And the height of the sides is practically not limited by anything at all.

First, watch the video to see how the whole process will happen. Next, the master explains the theory behind this for large boxes.

The most important thing is to correctly mark the future product. Let's assume that we conditionally need a box with sides of 5 centimeters.
To do this, we must set aside 5 centimeters from each corner. When the marks are ready, we connect them with the previously marked marks in order to make it easier and more accurate to make the necessary cuts and not cut everything out, but leave a little in order to bend, rivet or spot weld.
When the markings are ready, we need to make cuts. Since everything will be done using electric resistance welding, it is advisable to leave the outlets. That is, the master leaves tentative cutting lines. The selected parts will remain on the workpiece, that is, they will not go to waste. And the shaded parts will go to waste.

Another example of development

Homemade made of black metal. The base is a 12-gauge channel, a hinge is welded to it, and a 16-gauge pipe. A rod is embedded into the bending roller. It was all welded. The lever is made of a reinforced design. The bending beam is made of 75 angles. Half of the shelf has been cut off. The pressure beam is made of 75 angle and reinforced on one side with 50 angle. Additional emphasis was placed, since the beam in the middle was arched. Along the edges there is an eyelet from 75 angle, a bolt, and valve springs. A primitive eccentric has been made.

In the process of building a house or cottage, there is often a need to equip drains, sewers, and metal frames.

When manufacturing such products, it is necessary to give the flat workpiece the necessary spatial shape. Advice from experienced craftsmen on how to bend a sheet of metal at home will allow you to produce good quality structures that will last a long time.

Metal bending is performed without welding seams, which avoids corrosion in the future and produces a product of increased strength. Deformation does not require significant effort and is usually performed in a cold state.

The exception is hard materials such as duralumin or carbon steels. Sheet metal bending technology is developed according to the assigned tasks in such options as:

radius,
multi-angle,
single-angle,
U-shaped.

A separate case is flexion with stretching. This technology is used in the manufacture of parts with large bending radii and small diameters. When making parts with your own hands, the process is combined with operations such as cutting or punching.

Soft types of metals and alloys, such as brass, copper, and aluminum, are well suited for home processing. The production of products by bending is carried out on rolling or rolling machines, or manually.

The last procedure is quite labor-intensive. Bending is done using pliers and a rubber hammer. If the sheet is thin, use a mallet.

How to bend at right angles

To bend a bracket from a metal sheet, you will need a set of tools and accessories, consisting of:

vice,
hammer,
power saws,
bar,
frames

The length of the strip is made according to the scheme, with the calculation that there should be a margin of 0.5 mm for each bend, plus another millimeter for folds on both sides. The workpiece is placed in a vice with squares. Clamping it along the fold line, process it with a hammer.

After this, the future bracket is unfolded in a vice, clamped with a frame and a block, and the other side is formed. The workpiece is pulled out, the required length of the sides is measured, making bends along the bottom.

Use a triangle to check the correctness of the angle, correcting inaccuracies with a hammer. When performing both operations, the workpiece is pressed with a block and a frame. The finished staple is filed to the desired size.

How to make a sheet bending machine yourself

To give the metal the desired configuration, tinsmiths use a sheet bending machine. But what should a master do if he doesn’t have special equipment at hand?

In fact, the question of how to bend sheet metal at home is easily resolved. It is enough to use your own ingenuity and basic equipment to make a simple machine.

To make a bender for a metal profile, you will need:

I-beam 80 mm,
fasteners (bolts),
loops,
corner 80 mm,
clamps,
a pair of handles.

You will also need a stable table on which the finished machine is mounted.

The basis of the device is an I-beam, to which a corner is screwed with two bolts, holding the workpiece during the bending process. Three door hinges are attached under it by welding. Their second part is welded directly to the corner.

In order for the machine to easily turn while bending sheet metal, handles are attached to it on both sides. The finished machine is secured to the table with clamps. Before laying the workpiece, the corner is unscrewed or lifted. The sheet is pressed, aligned along the edge and folded, turning the machine by the handles. The homemade device is only suitable for processing workpieces of small thickness.

Bending a metal sheet with a hammer

In order to bend a sheet up to 1.2 mm thick at a right angle, use the simplest tools - pliers (clamps) and a rubber hammer.

The processing is carried out on a flat wooden block. The fold line is drawn using a pencil and ruler. Then the sheet is clamped with pliers so that their ends fall exactly on the marking line.

The edge is gradually bent upward, moving along the fold. Once the angle approaches 90 degrees, the sheet is placed on the block and finally leveled using a hammer.

Narrow parts, such as tin edges, are made in this way.

Tip: Use a rubber or wooden hammer to prevent dents from forming on the metal. If bending is performed with a conventional tool, you need to take a textolite plate as a gasket.

It is convenient to bend sheets up to 2 mm thick on a desktop. The metal is positioned so that the marking line falls on the edge. A steel corner is placed under the material being processed.

The sheet is clamped in a vice using two wooden blocks. Bending is done using a hammer, tapping the metal from one end to the other. At the same time, the edge of the sheet is directed downward so that it ultimately lies completely on the corner fixed along the edge of the table. This method can be used to make products of any width, including boxes or barbecues.

Making pipes without using a machine

Home craftsmen have invented a lot of ways to bend a metal sheet into a pipe without using a machine.

We propose to consider the simplest option using a blank of suitable size. It is made from an old pipe of suitable diameter.

A sheet of metal is laid out on the floor and a piece of the required length is cut from it. To determine the required size, the required pipe diameter is multiplied by 3.14 and added 30 mm for the seam.

A pair of tubes are welded to the blank on both sides, perpendicular to one another. The crowbar should be freely inserted into their holes.

To use the device, the effort of three people is required. The blank is placed on the edge of the sheet. One person stands on top, two others screw the metal onto the blank, turning the crowbar 90 degrees.

In fact, it is not difficult to make a sheet bending machine with your own hands, however, many specialists and self-taught craftsmen who use sheet steel in their households for some reason do not make such a machine for work. But it would help save a lot, featuring a long service life and high reliability.

At the same time, the features of the work and self-assembly of a sheet bending machine may be of interest not only to people who bend metal in large quantities every day; the article will also be useful for those who periodically do this!

Types of sheet bending machines and features of their design

Before you start assembling a manual unit with your own hands, you should accurately determine the volume and list of work that the new device will perform in the future. Indeed, depending on the purpose of this unit, the design diagram of the device may also change.

Of all the solutions available today, the simplest sheet bending machine in terms of design is a product that bends sheet metal using a special traverse. A similar device is useful if you are working with material wide no more than half a meter, allowing you to bend metal at an angle of 90 degrees without additional devices using only the strength of your own hands.

The material is fixed in a vice or clamps, where bending is carried out due to the high pressure from the traverse.

Sometimes, due to the high elasticity of the material, it is quite difficult to achieve an angle of exact 90 degrees. Helps correct the situation special spacer(in the figure on the right), which looks like an ordinary strip of metal.

A press brake consisting of a punch and a die is much more difficult to manufacture. In this case, the sheet metal is placed directly on the die, where the desired profile is given to the workpiece thanks to a punch descending from above.

The press brake, unlike the machine, is not widely used due to its large mass and complex design. And working with it at home is not always safe!

Let's consider the option of assembling a sheet bending machine with your own hands, which will function in conjunction with a hydraulic press. If you already have a press at home, then adding a device for bending metal will not be difficult.

Practice shows that the sheet bending machine, the operation of which is carried out by 3 shafts, was and remains more advanced in operation. Such a unit is sometimes called a pass-through unit. Its main advantage is that the device makes it possible to produce metal blanks with different bending angles. The metal bending machine can be equipped with either an electric or manual drive, allowing craftsmen to implement a wide variety of designs.

A broaching sheet bender can be additionally equipped with a traverse, a clamp and a support, allowing it to be used for manual bending of material. Machines of this kind are equipped with various shafts, which can always be purchased separately, making the device more versatile.

Profiled rollers are used, as a rule, to give the desired angle to elements of roofing structures, be it flanges, ridges, gutters, valleys, etc.

Rollers with a smooth working surface are used in most cases when it is necessary to carry out tin work, for example, to make sections of pipes of larger diameter or to bend workpieces.

Where does the assembly begin?

To assemble a sheet metal bending machine, you will need drawings, photos, and videos demonstrating the assembly sequence with your own hands. In addition, before work, it is important to think through some points, namely the availability of components, the effort that will need to be applied for work, the cost of the device, weight and dimensions, which, in turn, will affect mobility. As a result, we obtain approximately the following set of initial data:

The number of working cycles within which the sheet bending machine will operate without repairs and readjustments is 1200;
The maximum permissible width of a metal profile is 1 meter;
The maximum bending angle of sheet steel without manual finishing is 120 degrees;
The design of the machine should not include welded joints that poorly tolerate alternating loads;

Profile thickness no more than 1 mm for copper, 0.7 mm for aluminum and 0.6 mm for galvanized;
It is worth minimizing the number of components that will need to be ordered externally, focusing more on the help of milling machines and turners;
It is not recommended to use parts made of special steels (stainless steel) for assembly.

It is extremely difficult to find a drawing of a sheet bending machine that would fully meet the listed requirements, but this does not prevent you from using the closest solution, modifying it to suit yourself.

Bending machine drawing: introduction and improvement

From a design point of view, the manual sheet metal bending machine shown in the first drawing below can easily be improved. The diagram clearly shows that the metal bending device is assembled from the following components:

Wooden pillow.
Support beam made of 100-120 mm channel.
Cheeks from 6-8 mm sheet.
Bendable profile.
A pressure beam made of 60-80 mm corners joined together by welding.
Axles for turning the traverse (made from 10 mm metal rod).
A traverse, the role of which is played by an 80-100 mm corner.
The handle of the device is made of 10 mm rod.

(Drawing No. 1)

Initially, in the drawing, the traverse of the bending machine is made from a corner, but it is much better to make it from channel. This solution will increase the endurance of the traverse many times over. Otherwise, at a certain point in time, the corner will certainly bend in the middle, which will noticeably reduce the quality of the bend in this place. At the same time, replacing it with a channel will make it possible to work longer on the machine without the need to replace components, providing more than 1300 bends instead of the usual 200, which is not much if you work actively!

The design of the presented sheet bending machine, made by hand at home, can be improved not only by changing the traverse, making the unit even more versatile and efficient.

The second drawing makes it possible to understand in more detail the design features of a homemade sheet bender:

A clamp made of a screw with a collar and a heel, as well as a 40-60 mm angle.
Cheek.
A channel serving as a support beam.
Do-it-yourself pressure beam bracket made from 110 mm angle iron.
Pressing beam of the machine.
Axis of rotation of the traverse.
Directly, the traverse itself.

(Drawing No. 2)

We increase the reliability of machine mounts

A sheet bending machine, among other things, has another significant disadvantage, which is the layout of its placement on the working surface. The clamps themselves, namely they are designed as fasteners, are considered an unreliable fastening method. The situation is further aggravated by the fact that welds are characterized by rapid fatigue! Based on this, it makes sense to completely abandon the use of this fastening element, which will additionally eliminate cheeks and welded joints from the design of the device.

You can improve your sheet bending machine yourself in the following way:

A support beam is made of such dimensions that in the future it can protrude beyond the boundaries of the working surface;
U-shaped eyes are made at the ends of the support beam;
The support beam is fixed to the working surface with shaped nuts with claws and bolts (M10).

But, if the new version of the sheet bending machine no longer has jaws, then how will the traverse be attached? This issue can be easily resolved this way: just use butterfly door hinges, which are typically used to secure heavy metal doors. The hinges themselves will provide the unit with greater accuracy, and fastening can be done using countersunk screws. The second drawing clearly demonstrates this point. in the lower right corner.

Since butterfly door hinges are quite reliable, you can bend a lot of metal blanks on a homemade sheet bending machine with a traverse.

How to strengthen the pressure beam?

Next we will examine the issue related to strengthening the pressure beam. Although, if you use a fairly large corner for pressing, and do not plan to bend very thick sheets during the work, then you can skip this point, leaving the pressing beam from the corner. In other cases, we recommend strengthening!

To extend the operational period of the clamping beam, making it comparable to the traverse, you need to supplement the corner with a metal base with dimensions of 80 by 16 millimeters. In this case, it is worth making a 2 mm chamfer on the working edge of the complementary element. At the same time, the front edge of the metal strip must be given a 45-degree angle to align it with the plane of the clamping angle.

The second drawing shows this element in section top right. Thanks to this solution, the metal will begin to work in compression, and not bending as before, which was extremely undesirable, significantly increasing the operating time of the machine without breakdowns.

Another 60th corner should be welded to the back flange of the main clamping corner. This will keep the latter from bending upward. The second drawing shows this point more clearly. top left.

Don’t forget about the bottom of the pressure beam, namely the milling of this part, because it is what forms the bend of the metal profile. According to generally accepted rules, the unevenness of this plane should not be more than half the thickness of the future workpiece, otherwise it will not be possible to make an even bend with your own hands - swelling will definitely appear along the fold line!

It is important to note that you can only mill a beam after installing all welds, because their implementation often causes changes in the geometric characteristics of the structure.

Assembled structure

In its finished form, the improved sheet bending machine consists of:

Support reinforced beam.
Flywheel - threaded element.
Beams acting as a clamp.
Clamps for fixing the mechanism to the working surface.
A traverse, which allows you to bend a metal sheet.

In the drawings you can see pressure flywheels, which, as a rule, few people have in stock. In most cases, for sheet bending, ordinary screws equipped with welded collars are used instead.

Important point! Welding the knobs can have a negative impact on the threads, so after welding it is imperative to remove the threads on them.

More drawings of a sheet bending machine

Below are drawings of sheet bending machines, which in their design are very similar to the options discussed above. The only difference for the most part lies in the mounting of the traverse. The diagrams suggest dimensions that, if desired, can be adjusted to suit your own needs and the operating characteristics of the machine.

Do-it-yourself stitching machine

A creasing device or, as it is also called, a crimping machine, makes it possible to make so-called ridges or simply stiffeners on a metal profile. Such a unit is one of the special devices and can be implemented using a manual or electric drive. Manual zigovochny machines are also equipped with clamps, while having more compact dimensions, which allows them to be carried even inside an ordinary tool bag.

Using a zig machine, you can perform high-quality flanging on both straight and round metal sheets, for example, the shells of various metal containers. Sometimes such a device is simply irreplaceable in the production of various elements of roofing systems.

The working components of the crimping machine are roller rollers, and its use makes it possible to significantly save on the purchase of the same roofing elements manufactured at the factory.

The following video clearly shows that the dimensions and design of the zig machine allow it to be used directly at the installation site of the roofing structure, which is very convenient!

How to choose a sheet bending machine?

To correctly select a device for creating bent elements from metal profiles, you should adhere to the following rules:

It will be useful for craftsmen who are engaged in tin work and assembling components of roofing structures on an ongoing basis. factory device for bending metal sheets;
For periodic home use, a person who needs a sheet-bending machine will be quite suitable for a simple design assembled from scrap materials with his own hands;

A manual machine for the production of profiled sheets is necessary for workers professionally involved in the production of parts for roofing systems. For this class of craftsmen, the most optimal choice would be a professional device that is distinguished by greater durability and reliability;
For people who periodically take on orders for roofing assembly, a zag machine and a manual sheet bender will come in handy.

If you plan to use a homemade sheet bending machine to work on a constant flow, then get ready for the fact that at some point in time your “shop” may suspend its activities for a while due to a breakdown. This is due to the fact that home craftsmen, as a rule, use steel to assemble a sheet bending machine, which simply cannot withstand heavy loads!

For less intensive household use, a do-it-yourself machine is ideal, allowing you to save some money and become an excellent assistant in your work. It is important to take this nuance into account and not hope that a homemade unit will show miracles of performance and endurance!

Before you start assembling a sheet bending machine with your own hands, it is recommended that you not only carefully familiarize yourself with the various options for drawings, but also watch special videos. It is likely that the dimensions of the described solution will be too small for some, then you can take a closer look at larger models that will no longer act as a mobile device, becoming a choice in favor of a private workshop.

Advantages of a machine assembled by yourself

People who want to save money on purchasing mass-produced profiled sheets are most often interested in purchasing a pass-through sheet metal bending machine and assembling a manual sheet bending machine with their own hands. Simple arithmetic shows that independent work on bending metal sheets reduces the cost of the latter by approximately 40 percent when compared with factory products. However, in reality everything is more complicated!

The cost of a factory-made manual machine for bending corrugated sheets is approximately 60 thousand rubles. Despite this, the purchased sheet metal bender does not guarantee Consistently high quality products. The catch is that single-pass rolling will likely result in tight corners, which in turn can cause cracks over time. Repeated rolling with changing the clamp will be labor-intensive and time-consuming. For creating simple metal parts, a homemade sheet bending machine is just perfect, but not so much for mass production!

The cost of a full-fledged rolling line made in China today is estimated at 20 thousand dollars. To install such a structure, a lot of space will be required, and such an installation will consume at least 12 kW of electricity. All this is beyond the budget and plans of the home master.

The main factor that you should pay attention to when buying a sheet metal bender is its quick payback! Achieving this for an independent craftsman using the machine privately is quite problematic. In this case, it is much more advisable to use a homemade sheet bending machine, which will do an excellent job of bending metal sheets. Using it, you can “with your own hands” bend sheets of corrugated sheets of standard and non-standard dimensions - both of them remain in great demand not only when carrying out roofing work, but also in many others.

Structure and design of the device

Before asking a question about how to make a sheet bending machine with your own hands, you should first understand the structure and design features of the device. First of all, such devices differ in the type of drive, which can be manual, mechanical, hydraulic and electric.

Mechanically driven units can be equipped with cables with a falling weight, systems of levers and pulleys, or a flywheel with a friction clutch. The first ones, at the beginning of the working stroke, are emitted by a shock impulse, which then gradually weakens. Such models have recently been used less and less, since due to the mechanics of the work, the quality of the result can hardly be called ideal.

In the case of sheet bending machines with an electric drive, the efficiency of the device decreases noticeably as the load increases, for example, when the strength of the workpiece increases or the size of the product decreases. When trying to bend a hard metal workpiece, such as stainless steel, the motor rotor may begin to slip, thereby increasing electricity consumption and reducing torque.

It is possible to adjust the developed force as accurately as possible depending on the resistance of the existing metal in sheet bending machines with a hydraulic drive, but such models cost a lot.

Alternatively, you could use a hydraulic jack instead of the usual drive, but, as practice shows, when bending a metal sheet, it provides uneven force along the length of the bend.

Taking into account all of the above, it turns out that a manually driven sheet metal bending machine remains the only worthy solution for bending metal workpieces at home. It is not difficult to make such a device with your own hands, choosing the most successful design.

A homemade sheet bender is assembled from simple parts that any mechanic can turn. It only takes half a day to make your own manual sheet metal bending machine if you have the necessary parts. Most elements of the bending device are made from waste metal production. Metal bending devices are in no way inferior to factory ones, but cost practically nothing. Based on the presented drawings, it is possible to make a more powerful analogue that can efficiently bend steel up to 3 mm thick.

Description of design

This model of metal bending device easily copes with tin, the bends are obtained quite accurately. You can also bend painted metal.

The base of the machine is welded from channel No. 6 or No. 8. Depending on the length of the future apparatus, the length of the channel is selected. For small work, 50 cm is enough. To bend iron at an angle exceeding 90 degrees, a clamp is applied from the corner. Such bend angles are used in the manufacture of folds.

The clamp is welded: the base of the structure is a corner 50 x 50, reinforced with 35 x 35. The thickness of the corner flanges must be at least 5 mm, otherwise the clamp will be too weak. A clamp of such power can cope even with a manual sheet bending device up to 150 cm long. The sheet is bent up to 135 degrees, this is enough to form folds. The length of the clamp should be 7 cm less than the base. Fasteners-brackets from a 3 x 3 angle are welded onto the ends. If the bracket is made from a larger angle, the clamping length is reduced by another 2 - 3 cm. With such dimensions, the spring is freely placed at the bottom.

The edges of the clamp are set clearly parallel to the bed, without burrs. Therefore, they are cleaned with a milling cutter or a file; it is convenient to clean the edges with an angle grinder. The grinding wheel removes protruding burrs and defects.

An opening with a diameter of 0.8 cm is cut in the center of both brackets. The punch for crimping is made from angle No. 5, the length of which is 5 - 8 millimeters less than the length of the clamp. The handle for the punch is made of a 14 mm metal rod, bent in the shape of a bracket, and fixed to the punch. Cheeks are cut out of 0.5 cm metal, and one hole with a diameter of 1 cm is sawed in each.

You can further strengthen the knot by cutting out a 6 x 7 mm shelf at the edges and a 14 mm hole. Take the rod for the handle a little thinner - 12 mm.

30 x 5 chamfers are cut from the edges of the punch at the ends, to which axles made of 10 mm metal rod will be fixed. The axis of the rod must coincide in direction with the edge of the corner. Near the ends, a 32 x 6 chamfer is made on the lower edge.

Pre-installation

Before welding the structure completely, it is necessary to align all the parts in the right direction and check the functionality of the structure. Therefore, light temporary fastenings are performed first. The bed along with the punch is fixed in a vice. The moving part and the bed must form a common horizontal line. The cheeks are mounted on an axis and point-fixed to the frame. It is convenient to use clamps instead of welding. Once the temporary fasteners are ready, the clamps are removed and mobility is checked. If the amplitude of the punch is sufficient, the clamps are tightened and finally welded.

It is advisable to remove the structure from the vice after the welding has completely cooled, otherwise it may fail.

Device testing and final development

Check the operation of the bending machine on thin, pliable metal. The material to be folded is installed in the device, the clamp is tightened with clamps. It is necessary to check the correct placement of the cheeks in relation to the bed. To do this, make several bends and adjust if necessary. If the cheeks are installed correctly, they are finally welded to the frame.

Using holes in the clamping brackets, holes with a diameter of 8 mm and an M10 thread are made in the base. The holes already prepared in the clamp are enlarged to a diameter of 1 cm. Bolts are screwed into the holes in the base (with thread) from bottom to top, and the caps are welded.

The clamp is secured to the frame with nuts and washers. It is more convenient to use nuts in the form of handwheels (plumbing). To ensure that the clamp is pressed down while unscrewing, springs or shock absorbers made of rubber are installed on the bolts. Valve springs work well.

As a result of simple operations, an inexpensive, easy-to-use and reliable machine is obtained. It also has several small disadvantages:

The fastening of the cheeks and the punch is not well thought out. In this unit, during operation, metal interacts with metal and gradually grinds. After some time, the mechanism begins to play. The metal sheet does not bend clearly enough.

A method for correcting the shortcoming of a manual sheet bending mechanism: the use of bearings in this unit.

If you plan to bend a large volume of sheet metal, the drawings of the upper clamp will have to be slightly modified; in the one presented, the work is done quite slowly.

In the original version, the sheet bender easily produces boxes from metal 2 mm thick, forms folds, and copes with painted sheets.

You can make a bending machine with your own hands, without using any drawings, from scrap metal. There are specimens up to 2.5 m long, which perform up to 350 m of ferrous metal bending per day. Professional tinsmiths often prefer a homemade sheet metal bender of a factory design.

More complex, manual roller sheet benders can also be made independently according to the drawing. It is important here that the weight of the device is not too large, because it is controlled with one hand. Roller structures have one drawback - during rolling, small sections of sheet metal can be deformed. A bend is formed by stretching the surface. Therefore, most tinsmiths prefer not to work with them.

Several more models of manual sheet benders with detailed descriptions of the units in the videos:

In modern construction, it is impossible to imagine work related to reinforced concrete structures, metal reinforcement or creating a foundation without the use of convenient bending machines that can perform many useful functions. Manual homemade sheet benders are fairly simple tools that allow even an unskilled craftsman to bend high-quality products from sheet material.

The emergence of the sheet metal bending machine

The first mechanical press brakes were invented in the USA. The emergence of sheet metal bending machines dates back to the 19th century, when production organizations in all kinds of industries felt the need for widespread production of metal structural parts.

Manufacturing metal products without the use of special equipment was extremely expensive and time consuming. Then there were attempts to introduce a pneumatic press into production, but they failed because they were characterized by low productivity and poor visibility of the material.

But the technical process does not stand still, and inconvenient, massive, energy-consuming and traumatic mechanical sheet benders have been replaced with hydraulic models that have better performance properties. This happened in the second half of the 20th century, when steel processing began to improve. And then off we go...

The work of scientists in this environment contributed to the automation of sheet bending machines, the development of additional equipment and the safety of employees. After 60 years, the sheet metal bending machine has become an integral part of production. And today, even private craftsmen constantly wonder how to make a sheet bending machine with their own hands.

Purpose of the sheet bending machine

A sheet bending machine is a pressing device that bends solid sheets of metal or cut strips of metal of different thicknesses and shapes. A homemade sheet bender is capable of bending sheets at the desired angle, without disturbing the flatness. Sheet bending machines are used for processing sheets of brass, steel, aluminum and copper, as well as other metals with a thickness of up to 0.7-0.8 millimeters.

At the same time, there are no deformations in the folded part of the sheet, which cannot be achieved when using a traditional mallet and mandrel. This allows you to make a variety of objects from the sheet. Products made in this way are almost no different from similar ones made on industrial machines.

The presence of a silicone insert on the bending beam makes it possible to bend painted sheets without the risk of damaging the coating. There are also convenient functions for adjusting the thickness of the sheets to be bent. The sheet bender easily bends sheets of iron and tin, the accuracy and quality of the bend is quite high and meets all requirements. Many of these machines can simultaneously cut metal.

Sheet bending equipment is widely used:

in mechanical engineering - for the manufacture of bodies and spare parts;
in ship and aircraft construction;
in the field of construction - finishing of roof fronts, production of roofing, ventilation shafts and air ducts, wind strips and cornices, door and window frames, facade cladding, production of ridges and ebbs for windows, as well as elements of metal siding, metal tiles and corrugated sheets;
in electronics - for the manufacture of cases for personal computers, washing machines, refrigerators and microwave ovens;
in furniture production - for creating open and closed profiles, cones, boxes, cylinders.

A sheet bending machine consists of a sheet of iron, which is the base, a clamp, a crimping punch with fastening, 2 clamps for attaching the equipment to the workbench tabletop. They make a sheet bending machine with their own hands from metal blanks. Experts recommend buying a 6.5 - 8 channel at a metal depot, which has a length of 500 - 650 millimeters, on which the entire structure of the sheet bender is supported.

Often, sheet bending machines are equipped with additional options: a device for holding rolled metal, a protractor, duplicate supports for metal sheets and a profiling device. Sometimes it is practiced to manufacture a sheet bender with a reinforced support, which ensures reliable fastening of the machine, and a special roller blade, which can cut metal at the level of quality achieved in factories.

Construction of a sheet metal bending machine

A sheet bending machine is in most cases used to manufacture roofing elements from metal profiles. Sheets can be fed into the sheet bending device from the back and front, which eliminates the need for preliminary cutting. The design includes a cutter that allows you to cut metal directly on the object.

The main elements of the drawing of a homemade sheet metal bender for bending sheet metal are the following:

Roller knife. This tool is made from the most durable and high-quality steel alloy; the service life ranges from 25 kilometers of half-millimeter-thick metal. The knife can be sharpened after the end of its service life and the cycle can be repeated several times. The design of the steel knife with powder coating is very resistant to loads, the weight reaches 5 kilograms.
Back table. A sheet of metal can easily be placed on the table, which you can move in the required direction and tuck in for work. The bender and cutter of the material are installed on the table supports.
Stand. The work table is placed on a wooden stand, so the sheet bending machine does not slide on the floor. It is possible to adjust the height of the stand, and the machine can be easily moved on wheels, which is convenient for regular transportation.
Front stops. These elements allow you to set the width of the cut, and their design can be rotated 180 degrees and then returned to the first position.
Measuring plate and corner stop. The stop is able to quickly set the required angle of the sheet, or perform the bending process itself without fixing it at an arbitrary angle.

Operating principle of the machine

A manual homemade sheet bender is intended for the production of profile parts from thin sheet steel, aluminum and copper: 0.5-0.7 millimeters thick, up to 2500 millimeters wide, with a shelf height of 20 millimeters, cutting strips of this sheet from 80 to 400 millimeters for folding the curved shelves to give the product additional rigidity.

The operating principle of a sheet bending machine is based on fixing the workpiece on the bending table using a clamping frame and then bending the protruding part of the workpiece to the desired angle with a rotary beam. The maximum bending angle reaches 135 degrees, with the possibility of bending up to 180 degrees. The maximum thickness of the metal that is fed depends on the power of the pressing mechanism.

The clamping is performed mechanically using an eccentric coupler. You can adjust the clamping force. The simple design of the sheet bending machine and the materials used can ensure its reliability and high reliability, as well as maintainability in harsh conditions - even in the field. The peculiarity of the design is the possibility of unlimited supply of workpieces along the length.

There are special machines on sale; the drawings of sheet benders of this type have certain distinctive features. The workpiece can be pressed using an electromagnet, which is located in the body of the device. The power of the electromagnet is capable of providing clamping that prevents the workpiece from slipping out from under the clamping beam.

The increased rigidity of the above structure demonstrates straightness and high quality bending. The length of the workpieces and the bending angle can be fixed or specified using limiters to create identical or similar parts.

The assortment also includes bending presses, in which the deformation of the workpiece is accomplished by pressing it into the recess of the matrix with the protrusion of the punch. The force is provided by a hydraulic or pneumatic drive. Such sheet bending equipment is intended for bending sheet steel, which has a thickness of up to 3 millimeters and a length of up to 2500 millimeters.

Types of sheet bending machines

According to mobility, sheet-bending equipment is divided into mobile and stationary. The first types of machines are used in production for processing large volumes of material, the second types of machines are used in small enterprises or construction sites for the production of individual parts.

Depending on the method of processing the material, sheet bending machines can be rotary, equipped with a bending beam, press machines with a punch and a die, or rotary - sheet bending machines include rolls.

According to the type of drive, sheet bending machines are divided into 5 types:

Pneumatic devices operate due to the functioning of pneumatic cylinders; mainly rotary models are on sale.
Electromechanical machines are stationary mechanisms equipped with a drive system, electric motor and gearbox.
Mechanical machines are stationary machines that operate using the energy of a flywheel.
Hydraulic machines are capable of operating using hydraulic cylinders.
Manual machines require the muscular strength of workers for their operation and are very convenient for quick transportation and work in places where products are produced.

When choosing a sheet bending machine or making a sheet bending machine yourself, you need to decide on the thickness of the metal sheets, because a manual machine is considered the optimal solution for processing material that has a thickness of less than 0.1 centimeters.

This device is able to provide the necessary accuracy and free owners from large investments. If you require various metal parts that are more than 1 centimeter thick, it is best to choose an industrial model with an electric drive and the ability to perform a wide range of functions. Such machines cost much more, occupy a larger area, but demonstrate high productivity.

Manufacturing of sheet metal bending machine

A sheet bending machine in the practice of home-made workers is still a little-used device. However, this tool is very useful, because even unskilled craftsmen can perform high-quality work related to bending sheet metal.

A sheet bending machine, consisting of a base, a crimping punch with a lever, a clamp and two clamps, can be made using electric welding. Only undeformed angles number 3 and 5 are needed, as well as a section of channel. The base is usually made from channel number 6.5 or 8, which has a length of up to 500 millimeters. It is customary to choose the size at your own discretion.

A clamp made from a corner is capable of bending a sheet at an angle that is more than 90 degrees, which, for example, is necessary for joining sheets into a fold. The clamp of a self-made manual sheet bender has a welded design. The main corner 5 must be additionally reinforced with a profile from corner number 3.

To ensure a rigid clamp, it is recommended to use corners with a shelf thickness of 5 millimeters. The clamp is made shorter than the base by 70 millimeters; brackets from sections of angle number 3 with a wall whose thickness reaches 5 millimeters should be welded to its ends.

The edges of the corner shelves, which are in contact with the sheet being bent, are filed or milled, making them parallel to the base. In each corner bracket in the middle of the shelf, you need to drill a hole with a diameter of 8 millimeters.

Make the crimping punch from corner number 5, it is 10 millimeters shorter than the clamp. The lever is usually bent from a reinforcing steel bar, which has a diameter of 15 millimeters, in the form of a bracket and welded to the punch. Next, cut out the cheeks from a steel sheet, the thickness of which is 5 millimeters, and drill a hole in them with a diameter of 10 millimeters.

Remove chamfers from the edge of the ends of the angle-punch, the length of which is 30 and the depth of 5 millimeters, which are necessary for fastening and installing steel axles from a bar, which has a diameter of 10 millimeters. The axles must be welded in such a way as shown in the video about do-it-yourself sheet benders, so that the center line of the rod is directed parallel to the edge of the angle. On the edge of the base, remove chamfers that have a depth of 6 and a length of 32 millimeters.

The base and punch for pre-assembly must be secured in a bench vice so that the flanges of the angle and channel are placed in the same horizontal plane. Place the cheeks on the punch axles and attach them at several points to the base using electric welding or attach them using another method.

For test bending, it is customary to place a sheet of soft metal, approximately 1 millimeter thick, on this surface and fix it on top with a clamp, temporarily pulling it to the base with pins with overlays or clamps. It is recommended to check the position of the cheeks relative to the base through trial bending and adjust if necessary. After making sure that the cheeks are in the optimal position, they need to be finally welded to the base.

When using holes in the clamp brackets, they are drilled with a diameter of 8 millimeters at the base and an M10 thread is cut into them. The holes in the clamp must be drilled to a diameter of 10 millimeters. In the base, screw the bolts into the threaded holes at the bottom, the heads of which should be fixed to the base by welding.

Attach the clamp to the base with M10 nuts and place washers under their heads. It is advisable to use handwheel nuts that can be removed from the water fittings. When unscrewing the tightening nuts, the pressure is released by the springs that are put on the bolts. Rubber shock absorbers can also be used.

The clamps for securing the sheet bending machine to the base are homemade, welded from corner number 3. The design of the clamps is completely clear from the do-it-yourself sheet bending drawing. The M10 clamping screws are equipped with support plates. The clamps must be welded to the base shelf near the cheeks.

Requirements and safety precautions

Different types of sheet bending machines are designed for different purposes, but they all must meet the requirements outlined below: ease of use, safety, minimal energy consumption, stability, good quality of component parts, the ability to replace elements when they fail, and their compliance with the required standards.

To avoid on-the-job injuries, it is strongly recommended that you become familiar with safety precautions. A sheet bending machine is a dangerous device, as it contains many piercing and cutting elements that pose a threat to the health and life of the operator. Immediately before work, you need to study the instructions for each specific device in detail. It is necessary to work with a sheet bending machine only in protective clothing.

Before each start-up of the device, you should carefully check the functionality of the equipment. It is forbidden to bend metal sheets above the permissible thickness and leave the sheet bending machine unattended.

Thus, a sheet bending machine in skillful hands is capable of ensuring high quality manufacturing of such parts as casings, chassis, housings; the machine will also be needed when joining sheets into folds, guaranteeing in all cases the proper presentation of the product. The main thing is to know how to make a sheet bender correctly. This ensures the absence of deformation and flatness in the folded part of the sheets.