For fabricators working with cosmetic surfaces, it’s important to ensure that the finished products look nice and meet customer requirements. Sometimes light surface rubs from the shoulder of a press brake die can be acceptable or covered with a coat of paint. But for the typical part that is visible to customers and needs to look perfect, there can be no gouges, scratches, or scrapes. To achieve an acceptable surface finish, an extra level of care may be required.
Expensive materials like aluminum and stainless often need a showroom finish. Here are some simple steps to take when bending to get the finish on these parts right the first time and prevent costly part rejection.
1. Know Your Customer’s Expectations
2. Know Your Material
3. Keep Tools Clean and Precise
4. Choose a Larger Shoulder Radius
5. Use a Urethane or Cloth Drape
6. Use Specific Tooling
To explore these solutions further read the complete article from Steve Brown in Canadian Fabricating & Welding.
January 19, 2022