Best Aluminum Sheet Metal For Bending

I would avoid using alloys in the 2xxx and 7xxx families because they are so strong and therefore difficult to form.

Best aluminum sheet metal for bending.

6061 t6 aluminum is tempered and notorious for not bending easily. 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. We re having trouble bending 6061 t6 aluminum without cracking and i was wondering if you could give us a few pointers. From non heat treatable 3003 and 5052 to the heat treatable 2024 6061 and 7075 you have many options from which to choose.

Highly formable and one of the best kinds of aluminum to bend. Material bend radii and minimum bend size charts please note. Clinton aluminum offers a variety of products each covering a wide range of applications and processes. Use the minimum bend dimension values in the charts below for your minimum closeness of cutout to a bend.

Miserable to bend cracking is very common and cold bending will always weaken the metal. The best series for forming and thus for bending are the alloy series 3xxx 5xxx and in some cases 6xxx. How to bend sheet metal without a brake in 4 different methods with minimal or homemade tools. But the question remains the same which alloy is the best product for bending.

Aluminium alloy 6063 is a good choice for example while 6082 is more difficult. A bending brake is a specialized metalworking tool used to create precise linear bends and folds in light gauge sheet metals like the kind used to make flashing for doors windows and roofs. Bending sheet metal by hand is a manageable task if the piece of sheet metal is small and thin enough to handle. How to bend sheet metal without a brake.

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. From a bending perspective it s always best to bend these parts in an annealed state and then temper them to the correct condition. The best aluminum alloys for bending come down to series 3xxx and series 5xxx and sometimes series 6xxx.