How to Operate a CNC Press Brake?
The press brake machine isn’t named after the brakes we nowadays associate with motor vehicles. Instead, it’s named due to old-timey tradition. Many common words have picked up new meanings over the years, like the “quicksilver” that many momentarily wonder about. In this case, “quick” used to mean “alive,” which instantly makes sense given mercury’s tendency to jump and jive. A similar naming convention applies to the press “brake.”
The Press Brake’s Impressive Evolution
In the Middle Ages, a brake was a device for pounding or crushing things. And that’s more or less what the modern press brake does, albeit in a much safer and more accurate fashion.
Currently, the press brake (or more simply, press) has improved and automated the outdated method of literally pounding a piece of metal into shape. If a metal sheet or plate is adjudged to be in need of bending or specific shaping, it’s placed over a die and bent using a punch. The matching die and punch combinations range widely and can yield various shapes depending on the workpiece’s ultimate use, be it a bracket, hinge, brace, frame, or other.
That’s why press brakes are invaluable for shops like ours, which produce top-quality components for virtually every industry. Metal sheets or plates are necessary for the auto, aero, and other markets that require strength, lightness, and versatility.
From Simple Smashing to an Ultra-Precise Art and Industry Mainstay
The press braking method may seem simple, yet there are many criteria considered with every shaping of a metal piece. Such as the type and dimensions of the bend, the physical properties of the metal, and the tonnage of the press brake; too high or too low and you jeopardize both the fabricated piece and the machine itself.
One must also be cognizant of cracking or spreading, the chance of which rises with the degree of the bend. It’s also essential to be wary of springback, which increases with the hardness of the material. Otherwise, further considerations depend on the type of machine used.
But fortunately, as with other machining disciplines, the seamless integration of computerized intelligence and analytics has relegated these tedious tasks to a robotic process.
And that’s just one of the many advantages of constantly evolving machining technologies. What once demanded time and arduous physical effort has become automated, intelligent, and effortless. So if you’d like to discover how our intelligent tech can best benefit you, contact us today!