Bending Considerations for Thick Material

By implementing the suggestions outlined here when bending thicker gauge materials, you should find you have fewer problems, resulting in less down time and greater production.

2/4/2020

Check your Tonnage and Upsize for Strength

When working with thick material, make sure to increase the opening of your die. Choose a thicker bodied punch and get in the habit of calculating tonnage whenever the material thickness is outside of your normal practice.

Consider Heat Treat Options

Thicker materials can often be abrasive. To minimize wear on your tooling, various heat treat options are available. Wilson Tool will help you determine which method of heat treat is best for your bending application.
• Nitrex® Treated
• Laser Treated
• Induction Treated

Increase Punch Radius

Increase the radius size to disburse the load across a larger area. This will help reduce isolated tonnage on the punch tip.

Increase Die Shoulder Radius

Increase the radius of die shoulders to disburse the load and increase die life.

For more information on bending thick material, please contact your local Wilson Tool sales engineer or contact a Bending Tooling Technician at 800-445-4518 or [email protected].

February 04, 2020