Best Aluminum Sheet Metal For Bending

We re having trouble bending 6061 t6 aluminum without cracking and i was wondering if you could give us a few pointers.

Best aluminum sheet metal for bending.

Clinton aluminum offers a variety of products each covering a wide range of applications and processes. 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. 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.

I would avoid using alloys in the 2xxx and 7xxx families because they are so strong and therefore difficult to form. But the question remains the same which alloy is the best product for bending. The best aluminum alloys for bending come down to series 3xxx and series 5xxx and sometimes series 6xxx. How to bend sheet metal without a brake.

Use the minimum bend dimension values in the charts below for your minimum closeness of cutout to a bend. Proper bending can be done with annealing the aluminum first although it s not an ideal candidate for formed parts. From non heat treatable 3003 and 5052 to the heat treatable 2024 6061 and 7075 you have many options from which to choose. 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. Material bend radii and minimum bend size charts please note. How to bend sheet metal without a brake in 4 different methods with minimal or homemade tools. 6061 t6 aluminum is tempered and notorious for not bending easily.

Miserable to bend cracking is very common and cold bending will always weaken the metal. Most frequently expensive sheet metal bending tools called brakes are used to bend sheet metal but you can also complete this task without one. Bending sheet metal by hand is a manageable task if the piece of sheet metal is small and thin enough to handle.