Sheet Metal Shearing and Bending

Part of the Fundamental Manufacturing Processes Video Series, this program examines two of the oldest manufacturing processes: shearing and bending. Shearing is the cutting of sheet metal by means of two opposing blades. It is used to cut large sheets of material into smaller more manageable sections. Bending is the creation of three-dimensional shapes out of two-dimensional material, and is a fast, economical way to produce an endless variety of parts from sheet metal and plate.

The sheet metal shearing segment shows the shearing process while explaining and defining blade rake/shear angle, blade/knife clearance, blade/knife angle of inclination, knife sharpness, the components and types of shears, process gaging, camber, bow, twist, and the coil slitting process.

The sheet metal bending segment concentrates mainly on the terms defining a bend — neutral axis, bend allowance, bend radius, and springback — and focuses on the primary bending machine, the press brake. Various examples of press brake dies, gaging, and bending operations, such as air bending and bottom bending, are shown along with a segment on folding technology.