The hydraulic press brake of today is the result of constant evolution. Just like cars, for example, which have become high-tech means of transportation, the press brake is now a concentrate of technological and mechanical innovation. And yet, in the case of both the car and the press brake, the basic mechanical components are still basically the same as they were at the beginning. However, they have been improved and refined over time.
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In order to understand the fundamental steps in the history of sheet metal bending, we suggest you to go back in time to discover some of the history of these historical machine tools that are essential for our customers today.
Mechanical folding machines are still used in many workshops to perform marginal machining, even though they are now considered prohibited from a safety point of view. Therefore, they can logically no longer be used by the staff. In the past, the best-known mechanical folding machines were made by Mariani or Omag and were characterized by extremely fast movement and high pressure force.
Born in France thanks to the intuition of the French-Italian Roger Giordano, the hydraulic folding machines type RG Promecam are compact machine tools.
Their most obvious feature is the movement of the bed, different from all other press brakes.
Indeed, if it is generally the upper part - called "crossbar" - that goes down, in this case, it is the bench that goes up.
The movement is obtained thanks to the thrust of a central hydraulic system. Simple and very reliable, they have practically made the history of the Italian press brake but not only. Nowadays, they do not comply with the safety regulations, as they do not have the speed change point and are not equipped with the modern safety systems.
Therefore, they can only work if they are adapted with specific kits.
They were distributed for a long time and it is still not uncommon today to find them in many workshops that are still operational; after the Second World War, they represented a real revolution, since the bench prevented the natural bending of the sleeper.
Moreover, since the latter was rather low and compact, it allowed to obtain large closed profiles that could "embrace" the upper part of the machine.
At present, the hydraulic synchronized press brake is the most common modern machine.
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It guides the movement of the upper crossbar by means of two independent hydraulic cylinders operated by proportional valves.
In this way, the machine is more versatile and allows the operator to act on the two cylinders independently to modify the descent of the crossbar and prevent possible irregularities of the sheet. In fact, it often happens that a piece bends more on one side than on the other due to the variability of the raw material.
The numerical control of a synchronized hydraulic press brake is much more advanced than the positioner of the torsion bar press brake.
The CNC allows the operator to make many adjustments: from parking time in "bottom dead center" to fold speed at decompression.
From a chronological point of view, they represent the latest evolution of press brakes and, even today, they are seen as a borderline solution for specific requirements.
They guarantee speed and repeatability, as well as low energy consumption. However, they are less versatile and have much higher costs than synchronized hydraulic folders.
Basically, there are two techniques to drive an electric folder: with recirculating ball screws or with adapted belts.
Understanding why press brake is called press-brake and not metal former, or sheet metal bender can be quite complicated. You will require to go back to history and learn more about the hydraulic press brake and its components. That could be a lot of work, and it can take more of your precious time. However, this blog is here to shed light and provide you with a better understanding.
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Press Brakes
Before the initiation of machines, the process of bending sheet metal was a little tiresome. It involved attaching a piece of metal sheet metal to a 3D scale or mold model with a similar shape you need. Using the T-stake, lead strap called a slapper, ball-peen hammer, and tools called spoons, tradespeople with exceptional skills were able to create desired shapes from sheet metal. It is through these techniques that they could develop breastplate used as a suit of armor, among other shapes. The operation was quite manual but with exceptional results. It is, however, been performed even today at the art fabrication and autobody repair shops.
Cornice brake was patented in 1882 as the first “brake.” For its functionality, it bent sheet metal into a straight line by forcefully clamping the piece through a manually operate leaf. As time went by, this technique has evolved to the new machines that we know as leaf brakes, folding machines, and pan & box brakes. The new models are efficient, fast, and beautiful, hence making work easier.
However, the process of evolution continued to expand with more brake versions getting on the market. For the last 100 years, the first powered press brake was introduced using flywheel-driven machines. These were later followed by hydraulic and hydromechanical press brakes in the 70s and the most recent electric press brakes in the 2000s.
There still remains a mystery as you try to understand how the braking system operates. This is due to the connection between electric brake and the mechanical press brake. It is essential to delve into some etymology to get the difference.
The above words are all verbs that come from archaic terms, and they all share a common origin. The words had a different pronunciation from one nationality to the other. For instance, in German, it was brechen, in Gothic was brikan, while in the middle English, it was pronounced as breken. Bras or brac in French meant an arm, a lever, or a handle. This was entirely instrumental in evolving the word to the current form “brake.”
The word press, on the other hand, has numerous means, some of which are entirely unrelated to the current topic of discussion. Press in brake first can to action in 1300 as a noun “Presse,” which meant to crush. In the late 14th century, it had a device used for various activities, including squeezing juice from olives and grapes as well as pressing clothes. It later evolved into a machine that squeezes by applying force on something.
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Press BrakeThis is just some basic historical information that circles the press brake. However, that is not all as history is quite broad and cannot be wholly discussed in one post. If you have any information that is relevant to any type of brake, here at RK Machinery we will be glad to hear you out.
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