Meaning of gauge (gage) :

Unit of thickness of a metal sheet or wire. For sheet metal, a retrogressive scale (higher
numbers mean lower thickness) that starts with 10 gauge representing a thickness of
3.416 millimeters or 0.1345 inches. As the gauge number increases, the thickness drops by
10 percent. For example, a 12 gauge sheet is 2.732 millimeters thick, and a 13 gauge sheet
is 2.391 millimeters thick. For wire thickness there are two scales, see American wire
Gauge for the first one. The second is a metric scale in which a gauge number is equal to
10 times the diameter of the wire in millimeters. For example, a 5 gauge wire is 0.5
millimeter in diameter and a 6 gauge wire is 0.6 millimeter in diameter. (see annex tables
for complete information)
Press Brake:
Taking the definition from George Dieter's book:
It's a single action press with a very long and narrow bed. The chief purpose of a press
brake it's to form long , straight bends in pieces such as channels and corrugated sheets.

Bending






Springback is commonly encountered in all forming operations but is most common in
bending.

- Springback in bending. (figure taken from Dieter's mechanical metallurgy, cap 29, fig 20-9).








Springback is the phenomenon by which sheet rebounds on either side of the bend after
the bending tool has been removed. Why? In the center of the sheetnot exactly the
geometrical center, but close to itresides a zone with low stress in which, even under
large bend forces, only elastic deformation occurs. This part of the sheets cross-section,
therefore, wants to return to its original shape after bend force is lifted. The extent to which
springback occurs depends on the nature of the sheet material: The stiffer the material, the
greater the springback. Soft materials exhibit springback limited to no more than 0.5 deg.,
and steel to 1 deg., but springback in stainless steel can amount to as much as 3 deg.

Bend angle also is a determining factor. The smaller the relative effect on the elastic area in
the neutral zone, the smaller the springback. This is the case with small bend angles and
small bend radii (meaning a sharp tool). For example, a steel sheet 0.8 mm thick bent with a
bend radius of 1S exhibits springback of 0.5 to 1 deg. The same sheet bent with a bending
radius of 77S results in springback of as much as 30 deg., according to Steve Benson in his
book, Press Brake Technology: A Guide to Precision Sheet Metal (published by the Society
of Manufacturing Engineers). With a leg length of 100 mm, each degree of deviation will
mean that the end of the sheet will have a spatial deviation of 1.7 mm. For post-processing,
such as robotic welding, a deviation of this size will soon exceed acceptable tolerance
limits. In practice, it is relatively easy to correct for springback when bending a sheet,
providing that influential parameters are known. For calculating springback for cold-rolled
steel, a formula offered by Benson is D = R / (2.1 x S) where R is the radius of the angle in
mm and S is the sheet thickness in mm. Using this formula, a steel sheet 0.8 mm thick, and
given a bend radius of 20 mm and a bend angle of 90 deg., has a springback value of 11.9
deg. To calculate springback for other materials, Benson uses a correction factor (0.5 for
copper, 0.75 for hot-rolled steel and 2.0 for stainless steel).

Keep in mind that under certain air-bending conditions, negative springback can occur,
particularly when employing dull tools in combination with a large punch angle as
deformations then can occur in the sheet between the punch and die surface. When coining,
given high pressing pressure and a sharp top tool, this tool can press into the sheet past the
neutral zone. In that case, the plastic phase is achieved everywhere and springback is
reduced to virtually zero.
Press Brake Tooling
In press brake we can use tools such as Punches, Dies and holders, in brake forming we can
obtain the required conformation by using the right die.

Dies
Press brakes can be used for many different forming jobs with the right die design. Types
of dies include

V-diesthe most common type of die. The bottom dies can be made with different-sized
die openings to handle a variety of materials and bend angles.
Rotary bending diesa cylindrical shape with an 88-degree V-notch cut along its axis is
seated in the "saddle" of the punch. The die is an anvil over which the rocker bends the
sheet.
90 degree dieslargely used for bottoming operations. The die opening dimension depends
on material thickness.
Acute angle (air-bending) diesused in air bending, these can actually be used to produce
acute, 90 degree, and obtuse angles by varying how deeply the punch enters the die by
adjusting the ram.
Gooseneck (return-flanging) diesThe punch is designed to allow for clearance of already
formed flanges
Offset diesa combination punch and die set that bends two angles in one stroke to
produce a Z shape.
Hemming diestwo-stage dies combining an acute angle die with a flattening tool.
Seaming diesThere are a number of ways to build dies to produce seams in sheets and
tubes.
Radius diesA radiused bend can be produced by a rounded punch. The bottom die may
be a V-die or may include a spring pad or rubber pad to form the bottom of the die.
Beading diesA bead or a "stopped rib" may be a feature that stiffens the resulting part.
The punch has a rounded head with flat shoulders on each side of the bead. The bottom die
is the inverse of the punch.
Curling diesThe die forms a curled or coiled edge on the sheet.
Tube- and pipe-forming diesa first operation bends the edges of the sheet to make the
piece roll up. Then a die similar to a curling die causes the tube to be formed. Larger tubes
are formed over a mandrel.
Four-way die blocksA single die block may have a V machined into each of four sides
for ease of changeover of small jobs.
Channel-forming diesA punch can be pressed into a die to form two angles at the bottom
of the sheet, forming an angular channel.
U-bend diesSimilar to channel forming, but with a rounded bottom. Springback may be a
problem and a means may need to be provided for countering it.
Box-forming diesWhile a box may be formed by simple angle bends on each side, the
different side lengths of a rectangular box must be accommodated by building the punch in
sections. The punch also needs to be high enough to accommodate the height of the
resulting box's sides.
Corrugating diesSuch dies have a wavy surface and may involve spring-loaded punch
elements.
Multiple-bend diesA die set may be built in the shape of the desired profile and form
several bends on a single stroke of the press.
Rocker-type diesA rocker insert in the punch may allow for some side-to-side motion, in
addition to the up-and-down motion of the press.
Punches
Another used toll are the punches which work in a similar way, making pressure on a sheet
until we get the desired conformation, the punches also have a particular form which helps
to conform the material into a required form.

Illustration of 90 dies and punches, one of the most common tools.
In the previous figure 90 dies and punches were shown, but there's plenty variations of
this punches and dies we can find commonly 26, 30, 45, 60 and 88 punches an dies, as
well as radius punches and dies.

radius dies to different kind of final products



Schematic illustration of radius punches
The following figure illustrates the process and knowing the key factors on it we can
understand the mechanics of the work.



scheme for the process in both hydraulic and mechanical press.

Sheet metal processes
Sheet metal processes involve plane stress loadings and lower forces than bulk forming
Almost all sheet metal forming is considered to be secondary processing
The main categories of sheet metal forming are :
Shearing
Bending
Drawing


Shearing
Shearing is a sheet metal cutting operation along a straight line between two cut-ting edges
by means of a power shear.


Blanking and punching
Blanking and punching are similar sheet metal cutting operations that involve cutting the
sheet metal along a closed outline. If the part that is cut out is the desired product, the
operation is called blanking and the product is called blank. If the remaining stock is the
desired part, the operation is called punching

Bending
Bending is defined as the straining of the sheet metal around a straight edge




Drawing
Drawing is a sheet-metal operation to make hollow-shaped parts from a sheet blank






References
1. George E Dieter, Mechanical Metallurgy, SI metric edition
2. www.srmuniv.ac.in/downloads/sheet.ppt
3. Amada, Handbook, Press Brake Tooling
4. http://www.metalformingmagazine.com/magazine/article.asp?aid=4928
5. Fournier, Ron; Fournier, Sue (1989), Sheet metal handbook, HPBooks, p. 37, ISBN 978-0-
89586-757-5
6. http://www3.nd.edu/~manufact/MPEM_pdf_files/Ch07.pdf
7. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/gauge.html

This Document was made as a research/study - back up material.

Compiled by: Camargo Fiorillo Carlos Jeyson
Cod: 702121055
Presented to: Ing Mec. Dipl. M.Sc. Julin Salas Siado.