Best Aluminum Sheet Metal For Bending

The top 3 aluminum alloys for being are the 3003 which has medium strength and the best cold workability the 5052 which is the highest strength alloy of the more common non heat treatable grades and the 6061 which is one of the more.

Best aluminum sheet metal for bending.

A bending brake is a specialized metalworking tool used to create precise linear bends and folds in light gauge sheet metals like the kind used to make flashing for doors windows and roofs. From a bending perspective it s always best to bend these parts in an annealed state and then temper them to the correct condition. We re having trouble bending 6061 t6 aluminum without cracking and i was wondering if you could give us a few pointers. But the question remains the same which alloy is the best product for bending.

How to bend sheet metal without a brake. Material bend radii and minimum bend size charts please note. I would avoid using alloys in the 2xxx and 7xxx families because they are so strong and therefore difficult to form. Highly formable and one of the best kinds of aluminum to bend.

The bend radius you select may not be available if the geometry of the part will not allow us to bend with the specific tooling required to achieve that radius. Purchase a metal bending brake online or at your local hardware store. The best series for forming and thus for bending are the alloy series 3xxx 5xxx and in some cases 6xxx. Use the minimum bend dimension values in the charts below for your minimum closeness of cutout to a bend.

Aluminium alloy 6063 is a good choice for example while 6082 is more difficult. Bending sheet metal by hand is a manageable task if the piece of sheet metal is small and thin enough to handle. Most frequently expensive sheet metal bending tools called brakes are used to bend sheet metal but you can also complete this task without one. 6061 t6 aluminum is tempered and notorious for not bending easily.

How to bend sheet metal without a brake in 4 different methods with minimal or homemade tools. The best aluminum alloys for bending come down to series 3xxx and series 5xxx and sometimes series 6xxx. Clinton aluminum offers a variety of products each covering a wide range of applications and processes.