The Panel bending machine has been around for almost 40 years and has accelerated the development of the sheet metal manufacturing industry. It is labor-saving, fast and able to bend a sheet to a specific angle with precision.
The high investment cost may be a deterrent for many sheet metal fabricators, but the high productivity of the panel bender makes it an ideal choice for many industries.
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What is a panel bending machine?
A panel bander is a machine used to bend sheet metal by applying pressure to the sheet through an upper and lower die to bend the metal into a specific geometric shape. The V-angle of the lower die is always adjusted according to the thickness of the sheet.
Types of Panel bending machine
Panel bending machines can be categorized into plate and tube bending machines. For the panel bending machines discussed in this article, we can categorize them into mechanical and hydraulic drive bending machines.
Structure of a panel bending machine
Panel bending machine usually consists of the following parts:
In short, the structure of the panel bending machine is complex, but through the synergistic effect of the various components, it can realize efficient and accurate metal sheet processing.
Features of Panel bending machine
Advantages:
Standardized design of all parts and no need to change dies saves maintenance costs.
The top-down bending die greatly improves the appearance of the bent part.
Panel bender adopts numerical control system and hydraulic system control, which can realize high-precision metal plate processing and ensure the precision and quality of finished products.
Rapid processing of metal sheets of various shapes and sizes, with high adaptability and flexibility, as well as time and cost savings
Conventional plate bending requires skilled workers with specific experience and the ability to track and control the bending stages. In contrast, a plate bending machine can operate by a single person without any specific skills: the machine performs all the bending stages automatically. This reduces personnel costs (hiring unqualified people) and increases production flexibility (more than one person can use the machine).
In conclusion, panel bending machines are characterized by high precision, versatility, high efficiency, ease of operation, safety, reliability and maintenance. They are widely used in the field of sheet metal processing.
Disadvantages:
The biggest and only disadvantage of this kind of sheet metal bending machine is that it is expensive. For some companies, the one-time investment needs to be bigger.
Panel bending machine applications
Metal processing: panel bending machine can process all kinds of metal plates, such as steel plate, aluminum plate, copper plate and so on. You can also use it to manufacture various vehicles, such as automobiles, airplanes, trains and ships, and parts and components in construction, machinery and electronics.
Furniture Manufacturing: Processing metal sheets of various shapes can be used to manufacture frames, brackets, and other parts of furniture.
Apparatus manufacturing: various apparatus shells, brackets, and other components are required to assist in the production of bending machines.
Pipeline manufacturing: elbow, flare, shrinkage, and other components of various pipelines.
Where is the market for panel bending machines?
The market's geographic location for panel bending machines varies by supplier and buyer, but in general, this equipment is more common in the manufacturing and construction industries. You can find markets for plate bending machines at industrial or construction equipment suppliers. In addition, you can also search for information via the Internet in order to find additional sales channels and suppliers.
Common Bending Methods
Free Bending:
Free bending, also known as air bending, is simpler than other methods. The depth of the upper mold controls the bending angle into the V-groove of the lower mold.
The accuracy of a bent part depends on various factors, such as Y1, Y2, V-axis upper and lower molds, and plate.
However, it is widely used due to its versatility and wide processing range. It is suitable for simple, large or less productive structures.
Three-point bending:
Three-point bending, also known as mold bending (bottoming), has a bending angle determined by the height of the wedge in the lower mold.
The upper die provides only sufficient bending force and eliminates non-parallelism between the dies using hydraulic pads on the ram.
This method allows the production of high-precision parts, i.e., with low angular and straightness errors. It is used for complex structures, small sizes and batch processing.
Corrective bending:
Corrective bending is formed in the cavity formed by the upper and lower molds, which can obtain the desired cross-section shape. However, it requires a larger bending force and repeated mold repair, and the generality of the mold could be better. When special requirements or cross-section shapes can not be realized by free bending, often use this bending method.
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Things to consider when buying a panel bending machine
The following factors need to be considered when buying a panel bending machine:
Bending machine type: there are many different types of bending machines, including manual bending machines, semi-automatic bending machines and fully automatic bending machines. It would help to choose the type that suits your needs and budget.
Final Thoughts
Panel bending machine is an advanced and modern bending machine that completely separates the product's quality from the worker's skill level, ensuring the production of high-quality products.
At the same time, the panel bending machine greatly reduces the labor intensity of workers. In addition, it provides new design ideas for sub-engineers, which has significant advantages for developing new products, enabling enterprises to take the lead in the rapidly changing product market.
While the press brake has been the go-to bending machine for many years, depending on the part, the panel bender can have several advantages over the traditional press brake.
The most apparent difference between a press brake and a panel bender is the physical way the sheet metal is bent. For a traditional hydraulic press brake, clamps secure the hangers used to hold the upper punch and the lower riser, which holds the V-die. The punch comes down on the sheet metal to form the bend into the V-die with the assistance of an operator at a foot pedal. V-dies, the most common type of die, will have different sized openings based on sheet thickness and required bend radii and angles. There are many other specialty dies that might be needed depending on the job. Similarly, the punch may need to be varied from a standard punch, such as a gooseneck for making u-profiles or a narrow punch for when space is limited when making a final bend.
However, investing in various tooling can be expensive and cost-prohibitive to a project. In addition to this, press brake tooling must be replaced over time as the tools wear, and it can also be labor-intensive and time consuming to change out tooling for various parts.
A panel bender operates differently and tends to be automated. With a panel bender, the sheet is held steady by the counter blade and blank holder. The machine has upper and lower universal bending blades that generate lateral bending force to fold the sheet metal. Because the counter blade, blank holder, and bending blades are universal, they can adapt to material size and thickness, so there is no need to change out tooling and minimal production downtime in between jobs.
In addition to the tooling advantage, the panel bender has an advantage over a traditional press brake in terms of speed, repeatability, and consistency.
Both can take advantage of CNC (computer numerical control) functionality, but a press brake requires manual manipulation of the sheet metal from bend to bend. Large sheets can be troublesome for operators to manipulate or require several people to complete the bend. Fatigue of the operator can also impact quality and efficiency.
Conversely, a panel bender uses a part manipulator to move the metal around. Once the sheet is inserted against the locating device, the entire piece is formed without the operator having to touch it until it is completed. Intelligent sensors measure the thickness, size of the material, and environmental temperature and adapt the panel bender tooling to those changes, eliminating waste, mistakes, and inefficiencies.
A panel bender can bend a part two to three times faster than a press brake and with much higher consistency. For example, the Salvagnini P4 Panel Bender can complete, on average, 17 bends per minute. The automation of this machine also allows it to be run lights out when tight deadlines are required.
One issue that arises with press brakes that is eliminated with panel benders is back bending. Back bending results from the material lagging behind the press while the form is taking place, which generally results in a whipping motion as the material tries to catch up with the press. Back bending is more common in very large panels where the operator cannot keep up with the press&#;s speed as the material is manually raised during the actual forming process. The result is a slight reverse kink or bend at the die edge. Another instance where back bending can occur is when the material hits the back of the form tooling before the bend is complete. With the panel bender, the material mass lies flat on the table and does not have to follow the press action during the bending operation, thereby eliminating the risk of back bending.
In addition, the panel bender has unparalleled accuracy and repeatability numbers. The panel bender&#;s integrated advanced sensors measure the blank, including material thickness, for precise placement and bending. The sensors also detect any deformations caused by variations in temperature. The collected data is used to instantly calculate the correct force required to bend the sheet metal. From the inside bend line to the inside bend line, the accuracy is +/- .008&#; on the overall panel dimension. The repeatability of the panel bender is +/- .004&#;.
Not surprisingly, a good part for a panel bender is&#;a panel! There are many projects with panels that are excellent candidates for using a panel bender, including:
The size of the panel will depend on the limitations of the specific panel bender being used. To provide a reference, the ideal part dimensions for the Salvagnini Panel Benders used by Estes are:
Even though a panel bender offers ease of setup, greater operating efficiencies, and high-quality output, there are a number of parts that fall outside the criteria and are better suited for fabrication using a press brake.
When it comes to high-quality metal fabrication, both the panel bender and press brake have a place. The decision as to which to use will depend on the type and size of the project.
If you have questions or are looking for a partner with proven experience in sheet metal fabrication, Estes has the experience to deliver. Contact us today to get started!
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