These are articles written by the author of this site and TheArtofPressBrake textbook and provide a rich resource for review.

 

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Reclaiming the disappearing press brake knowledge in your shop

Expensive options on a press brake won’t guarantee knowledge transfer from a veteran press brake operator to a shop floor rookie. For knowledge transfer to occur, a shop needs experienced workers that can communicate and a younger work force eager to learn because they see a future in metal…

Publish date: January 14, 2010

The tao of forming order

Is the starting position of the flat part facing the wrong way or upside down to your natural flow? Are you working from left to right when your natural motion is right to left? If you are, you’re fighting the current rather than letting the current do the work. Set up the press brake in such a…

Publish date: June 12, 2007

Taking the danger out of bottom bending

It is all too easy to ruin a tool or upset a ram if bottom bending is done incorrectly, which is why many manufacturers do not recommend bottom bending when using their equipment or tooling. Understanding V-die selection and the effects of your decisions should be first and foremost in any…

Publish date: March 7, 2006

Say ye shibboleth!

Properly trained press brake operators understand the nuances of tapers. Armed with this knowledge and following a five-step process that includes inspecting tooling and materials, precise setup, checking the part, and making necessary adjustments, these skilled workers can complete machine setup…

Publish date: November 8, 2005

Oversized V dies: the effects on bottom bending

Using oversized V dies in bottom bending can damage press brakes and tooling, but used properly, these dies can help compensate for springback.

Publish date: August 9, 2005

It’s all about tool selection — or is it?

Publish date: May 10, 2005

Safety faux pas

Publish date: February 8, 2005

Skilled workers make new press brake technology even more valuable

Publish date: September 14, 2004

Air forming and V-die selection

Publish date: May 4, 2004

Building the perfect tool cabinet

Have you ever wondered about the best way to store your press brake tooling? An expensive part of your press brake operation, tooling is damaged enough just by daily wear and tear and accidents. You don’t want to damage it further by storing it improperly.

Publish date: March 25, 2004

Why should you care about inside bend radii?

Operators, designers, and engineers, why should you care about the inside bend radius if the customer doesn’t? Because, ultimately, just how easy or difficult it is to produce a part depends on decisions made during the design stage. Misunderstanding terminology, process capabilities, or…

Publish date: January 29, 2004

John Henry’s last challenge or a Rube Goldberg device?

Picking the right press brake has never been an easy task and it continues to get harder all the time. New hydraulic systems offer unbelievable control and sophisticated hydraulic valving that were unimaginable just a few short years ago.

Publish date: September 10, 2003

Die width selection

The nuance of press brake die selection.

Publish date: July 24, 2003

Managers are not necessarily leaders

Often we are told that leadership is the key to the success of any business or organization. What is leadership? Is it the same as management? And what separates would-be or so-so leaders from world-class leaders?

Publish date: June 26, 2003

Making your own punch and dies

How many times have you looked through huge piles of blueprints for a prototype part or short-run job and thought, “If only I had that tool, this job would be a piece of cake?”

Publish date: May 29, 2003

Gauging difficult parts at the press brake

Gone are the days when engineers and draftsmen slaved for hours over drafting boards with a pencil and slide rule in hand (does anyone remember slide rules?). Today we’ve moved beyond slide rules and even beyond hand-held calculators to personal computers and mainframes to do much, if not all, of…

Publish date: March 27, 2003

How air forming works

Air forming began its rise in popularity during the mid- to late 1970s, becoming the most prevalent method of forming on a press brake.

Publish date: February 13, 2003

But we have always done it this way

Publish date: December 12, 2002

What the? This can’t be done!

Carefully planning the forming order can make even the most daunting project less complicated and problematic.

Publish date: October 24, 2002

Can I form a box that deep?

There’s no reason you can’t form sharp, deep boxes with a press brake consistently. You just have to be familiar with what your tooling can and can’t do under certain circumstances.

Publish date: July 11, 2002

Give in to Punching “Templation”

Using templates to increase quality and production at the punch press

Publish date: July 30, 2002

Using benchmarking for bend deductions

Benchmarking is a very good idea for your operation … just make sure your benchmarks are your own.

Publish date: May 30, 2002

Bumping up large-radius bends

The step-bending method can be a good way to achieve large radii without having to spend huge sums of money on special tooling.

Publish date: May 30, 2002

Reviewing bottom bending and nested parts

Looking to nest parts tightly, but can’t win the battle against the material’s natural grain? Take heart—bottom bending could be your key to success.

Publish date: April 15, 2002

Fung Shui of precision sheet metal bending

The flow of product through you shop is a key issue in determining your prosperity as a business. Drawing a little insight from the Chinese concept of feng shui might help you achieve the kind of flow you’re looking for.

Publish date: January 31, 2002

Mobilizing equipment-saving time and talent

It’s hard to believe that machines such as press brakes and hardware-setting equipment can move around on wheels or be moved by forklift and still function correctly. But I can tell you from experience that it is true and can be done.

Publish date: November 29, 2001

Fighting springback in profound radius bends

When bending sheet metal, three terms apply to the radius of the bend: sharp, radius, and profound. A sharp bend has a radius less than 63 percent of the material thickness. A radius bend has a radius between 63 percent and 10 times the material thickness. A profound radius exceeds 10 times the…

Publish date: September 17, 2001

Bend deduction charts

Quite often I am asked, “Where can I get a bend deduction chart that works, one with valid numbers?” That’s a good question.

Publish date: July 26, 2001

Discovering the limits of press brake tooling

One of the most important aspects of press brake forming is tooling selection. What are the tools capable of? What kinds of loads can they withstand?

Publish date: May 30, 2001