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Post subject:Total newbie question
 Posted: Jul 21, 2006 - 09:20 PM #5028
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Joined: Jul 21, 2006
Posts: 3
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Hi,
I've never done any real work with sheet metal before. I've bent steel and aluminum on a brake a couple times but that’s about it. Hopefully you can forgive my boundless ignorance...
I'm trying to make a bunch of small stainless steel boxes. I'm thinking the thickness of the material should be in the 1/16 to 1/32 range. I'm planning on getting the blanks (I'm assuming that a "blank" is the unfolded but cut piece of metal) laser cut, there are some intricate designs cut into each wall of the box so I think laser cutting is the most appropriate method. I have some CAD software that makes designing the blanks easy.
What I'm trying to figure out is how to quickly and easily fold the blanks into the box shape. Basically it is a shallow box with an open top. I was thinking of making a sort of die forming thingamajig out of an arbor press. This would consist of an upper punch type piece of steel which would match the inner dimensions of the box and be attached to the moving part of the arbor press and a lower die type piece of steel that would match the outer dimension of the box and be attached to the non-moving part of the press.
Obviously I don't have any idea what the different types of the press are called nor am I sure that I'm using the words "punch" and "die" correctly. All I'm trying to accomplish is folding up the sides of the box quickly and easily.
I was thinking that I could place the blank against the punch and then push the punch into the die and in doing so fold all four walls of the box up simultaneously. To further explain: if the punch was fully in the die without the sheet metal the gap left in between the punch and die would be the size and shape of the finished box. There would also need to be a method of holding the blank in the correct place as the folding/bending was occurring.
Am I on the right track here? I don't see why this wouldn't work, but I can't seem to find any examples of other people going this route. It seems like a cheap and easy way to go. I can fab up the punch and die myself.
Also could a spot welder be used to weld together the type of material I’m talking about (1/16 -1/32 ss)?
Any thoughts?
Thanks in advance.
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Post subject:CAD models
Posted: Jul 21, 2006 - 09:53 PM #5029
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Joined: Jul 21, 2006
Posts: 3
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Here are two pictures of the proposed boxes. One of the unfolded blank and one of the finished box. Clearly the small inner tabs would have to be folded first before putting the semi-finished box into the aforementioned arbor press folding machine.
Would it be possible to hold this baby together by spot welding the tabs to the outer walls? |
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Post subject:RE: Total newbie question
Posted: Jul 22, 2006 - 02:55 AM #5033
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Power User
Joined: May 16, 2005
Posts: 173
Location: Atlantic, Iowa
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| I guess it depends on what you mean by a bunch ? 100-300 I would use a box and pan brake. 1000 or more....then maybe a die.....but that will be a trick to do in 1 step with those tabs in the corners. I would find a little press brake and do a 2 step bending operation with simple straight dies. Bend the sides with the tabs first then fold the ends up. As far as spot welds go.....should work fine. |
_________________
Stickman,
The thin tinman.
www.martinsheetmetal.com
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Post subject:RE: Total newbie question
Posted: Jul 22, 2006 - 03:54 AM #5034
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Joined: Mar 16, 2006
Posts: 27
Location: Calgary canada
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box and pan would be good place to start, as far at the matereal, 1/16 would be about 0,625 or 16 gauge, and 1/32 ould be about 032 or 22, (.039 = 20), (.049 = 1 . air bendig would be the choice of die. If you are making the dies from scratch, or having them made. against better judgement, I am posting this link, perhaps to technica; on dies.
http://www.amada.com/products/tooling/t ... bcsec2.htm |
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Post subject:RE: Total newbie question
Posted: Jul 24, 2006 - 07:23 PM #5038
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Joined: Jul 21, 2006
Posts: 3
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Awesome, thanks guys.
I understand the idea behind air-bending, but I'm having a hard time visualizing how it could be done with this geometry. Know any good links that could help illustrate? |
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Post subject:RE: Total newbie question
Posted: Aug 02, 2006 - 04:13 AM #5082
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Joined: Feb 02, 2005
Posts: 31
Location: pennsylvania
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If you're looking for a clean look it will be dificult with 1/16" material unless you bend the four tabs separatly, making 8 bends in total. If you try it with four bends the ends of the box will try to be 1/8" wider than the middle of the box due to the metal thickness. With 22 guage you could get away with it but 16 might couse problems.
I have seen where people have adapted press brake dies to a regular shop press and they claim to have good results with them. |
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Post subject:folding box
Posted: Feb 19, 2008 - 11:13 PM #7249
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Joined: Oct 30, 2007
Posts: 23
Location: Nevada County, California
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| If you put the tabs on the other corners you will only have 4 bends! Take the long side in a regular brake and bend up 90,then do the same exact thing on the other side! Take a screwdriver horizontally (all 4 corners and stick it in the bottom corner and twist) This makes an offset so the small ends will fit inside the box,otherwise you will have a mess in the corners!Try it on a piece of galvanized to get the idea before you work with the expensive stuff. |
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