Bending Problems

[PhilipRoy]

Hello all; The need to remedy some bending issues has come up recently in my office. We have had troubles relating ProE models to real life, as sometimes bent parts that have multiple bends and holes do not align properly with the parts they bolt to. We have been talking with our suppliers, and they have told us that there is a "k" factor, or a "bend gain" that must be accounted for when having multiple bends in sheetmetal. We currently have an incomplete table of bend gains that are based on both the thickness of the material, and the width of the die used to bend the metal. My question is, if anyone else has run into this problem, how do I use ProE's Sheetmetal application properly to reflect what I need in real life, or, does anyone know of a complete and reliable "k factor" or "bend gain" table? In my experience so far with sheetmetal, it seems to be a trial and error process. Any insight into this issue would be very much appreciated. Thanks, Phil
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[eric.mills]

Philip Typically the best route on "k" factors is to work with your shop. Second route is to use machinery's handbook or other reference to find formulas for calculating "K" factors. There will be some trial and error, but a good sheetmetal shop should be able to get you there quickly. What works at one company may not work at yours, especially if the CNC brakes (if they have one), dies and operators can effect the finished part. Best of luck Eric

[RodneyDecker-di]

As Eric said, a company's bend tables should be developed with the fabrication shop's involvement to ensure accuracy. However, I would also add one additional suggestion. If you are out-sourcing your sheet metal parts only send finished (i.e. formed) information to your supplier and let them determine the flat pattern that works with their tooling. If you supply a flat pattern to a vendor to fabricate there is no guarantee the vendor's tooling will match the bend tables you are using and this could be causing the variance in your finished parts. Rodney

[PhilipRoy]

Thanks for your help!

[ptc-944906]

I changed my Y factor to .64 I think the default is .50 This also changed the K factor from .318310 to .407437 I did this in my sheet metal template files. That way it is always there when I design a sheetmetal part. It works well for our shop. We are mostly forming mild steel and stainless. Brian