The formability of sheets is what makes them so widely used as a material - in particular because sheets can be bent. This also allows them to be brought into rounded shapes, considerably extending their range of uses. Bending sheet metal is, in a sense, the supreme discipline of sheet metal working. It is not something you do casually: you must proceed with care, because once a sheet has been bent, no correction is possible. The right preparation is more than half the battle here.
We explain step by step how to produce a bent sheet yourself. You must then decide for yourself whether to bend sheets following our guide, or rather order finished sheets from the professionals. Both are fundamentally possible, and the decision naturally also depends on your own experience in metalworking and your own workshop equipment.
The shape is freely selectable
Most people probably think of a clean right-angled edge when picturing a bent sheet. Yet the angle at which you bend sheets is freely selectable - there are no limits to the forming possibilities of your sheet. This matters especially where buildings need to be protected from penetrating moisture: particularly with older buildings, you will not always find straight edges and even walls.
With one or several bends, you can create a suitable drip flashing even for such special cases. You just have to be careful in every work step - every millimetre counts from the measuring stage onwards, and that carries through all the subsequent steps.
Bending sheet metal: a guide in 3 steps
In principle, all sheets can be bent. Without the help of machines, however, this is only possible up to a certain material thickness. As a general rule, up to 1 mm thickness you can manage without machine assistance. You can still try at 2 mm, but that already requires considerable physical effort. It is not without reason that industry has special lines for sheet bending.
To avoid cracks in the surface, always pay attention to the rolling direction when bending sheets - it is easy to recognise. The bend should always run parallel to the rolling direction. This enormously reduces the risk of cracks and damage to the sheet.
Step 1: Prepare the sheet
Before you can start, you first have to do a calculation. There is one factor you absolutely must consider: the bending radius. It indicates the smallest possible radius at which a metal can be bent without breaking. On the outside of the bend, the sheet is stretched; on the inner radius, it is compressed or shortened.
There are rules of thumb for calculating the bending radius as a function of material thickness: for aluminium, double the material thickness; steel is bent with a bending radius corresponding to the material thickness, i.e. a factor of 1; for copper sheet, multiply the thickness by 1.5. So calculating sheets for bending is not that difficult at all.
Step 2: The workplace
If you want to bend sheets without a bending bench, a few preparations are needed. An absolutely clean surface is important, because sheets scratch easily. In practice, a table edge has proven itself - but it must have no gaps, as these would transfer to the result.
The table edge is used for a 90-degree bend, by far the most common type of bend. If you need a different angle, you must make a suitable bending block, over which the sheet is then bent. So you need a separate bending block for each angle - and preparing one takes quite some time.
Step 3: The actual bending
To obtain as uniform a result as possible, clamp the sheet to be bent firmly. Simply lay the sheet on the tabletop and place a piece of wood on top, positioned exactly where the bend is to be. So that nothing slips, connect table and board with at least two clamps.
To protect your hands, always wear work gloves when bending sheets. To apply the force evenly, it is advisable to use a further board - this lets you bend across the entire width of the sheet at once. Once you have bent the sheet to the desired angle, you can additionally tap along the bend line on the bending board with a hammer. This further refines the bend.
The alternative: have sheets bent online
If you have now concluded that bending sheets is not that easy after all, we fully understand. Add to that the fact that you can quickly cut and injure yourself on the sharp edges of a sheet, plus the risk of doing something wrong. We can step in for you, because we have specialised in processing stainless steel sheets - and we offer our products online.
We produce bent sheets to your specifications. All you have to do is call our sales team. There, they will work out with you which stainless steel sheet is best suited to your use - there are relevant differences. All our employees know about them and can select the right material for bending for you.
Incidentally, the time factor plays no great role here: we produce almost all our orders within 48 hours and hand them over securely packaged for dispatch. You might perhaps be faster yourself - but from us you are guaranteed to get the right sheet. We are, after all, experts in bending sheets to measure.
Order online or do it yourself?
The decision is yours. Do you want to take on the challenge of bending sheets, or would you rather have it easy? Feel free to call us and we can quote you the price for your made-to-measure bent sheet immediately. We know no lengthy quotation phase: after a short phone call, you will know everything we can do for you.
We stock all common stainless steel grades, such as stainless steel 1.4301 and sheet 1.4828. In our own production facility, we can cut them, form them and treat the surface. You get all these steps from a single source and have the sheet you need within a few days. But the final decision is yours to make.
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