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Thin sheetmetal folding, bending cutting.

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PekkaNF:
I used to make parts for my old junk cars and some thin sheetmetal work for my friends (they were not junk, only mine, easier to practise on my own car) and at the work they had a shop I could use. Some serious quiljotine, press, folders a lot of stuf from car gauge thin plate to 20 mm and more thickness and several meters capacity. They are not manufacturing parts anymore, therefore this option is gone.

I have used a chinese bead roller (my brother has one) and made long time ago a passable sheet metal brake, but I have been trying not to buy sheet metal tools....they take up much space that I don't have and for car panel work you really need pretty big ones. Lately I have been making some electronics and wile I have been making some small enclosure this got me thinkking of buying very small sheet metal fabrication tools.
https://madmodder.net/index.php/topic,12474.msg149281.html#msg149281

I ordered 0,30 mm tinplate, 0,5 mm copper sheet and 0,9 mm aluminium  sheet. I have some thinner and some thickeer sheet metal old stock.

I have meen making some stuff with traditional hand tools and while Pelican Snips work ok, they bend offcut, while hammering bends metal it not as crisp as it could be.....all the excuses to buy more tools.

My working envelope:
* Mild steel (max. 1 mm now but close to 1,5 would be really nice), copper (max 0,9 mm), aluminium (max 1,2 mm now). FR4 circuit board would be nice.
* idela width 300-600 mm. 200 mm would do now, but might turn out just tad too small.
* Manually movable

Ideally those 2-in-1 or 3-in-1 machines looks ideal on work table/storage point of view.

But how are those "import" machines and how usefull they are?

1: Thre are some originally swiss machine copies that have guiljotine type shear on the top of the slide and bottom of the slide has a brake press.



This looks a bit small, but there are some 12" or such:
https://www.baileigh.de/metallumformer-sb-8


2: another type is "Formit" 3-in-one, shear, press brake, and slip roll.



http://www.warco.co.uk/sheet-metal-fabrication-machinery-metalwork/302933-mini-formit-universal-sheet-metal-machine.html
0r
https://www.baileigh.com/shear-brake-roll-sbr-1220

For me #1 looks more rigid, but is there a fundamental difference between them?

My first oprion was to find a sher/quiljotine for cutting the metal and then finger pan brake, but they seem to be almost nonexistent in small and afordable conguration.

Cutting is the most important feature and rest is balacing between press brake or finger folder. After trying out many work arrounds with a simple folder, finger type pan folder has some apeal.


Any advice?

For only these very thin materials I can work semi decent with a snips and folding pliers, but it becomes a a bit chore at 1,2 mm steel plate and that seems to crop up increasingly....I do have a hydraylic shopp press and have been gobling up various press brake type contraptions on 5 mm and thicker materials...fine for those one offs, but does not cut with thin sheet materials. Too slow, fiddly and scratchy.

Pekka

awemawson:
When the universal Chinese machines came out about 15 years ago a friend of mine bought one. I was somewhat skeptical about them having read poor reviews, but Jim was quite happy with his, but had to accept that their claims on usable metal gauge were over stated.  So long as he only used it on thin stuff it was apparently ok

Joules:
I use separate bender and rolls, mainly due to the only clear space usually being the vice.  Bender and roll live elsewhere in the workshop when not in use, I can manage the weight of each item, but couldn't the formit.  if it has space for a permanent home then go for it, very useful machine but as others have commented take the bend, shear and roll capacity with a pinch of salt.

PekkaNF:
Thank you.

Been thinkking...that small machine might get it's own table. Weight is good. How much they lie on spesification? Is it like on lathes: You can sort of chuck the part, but turn only close to 50% of sales capacity.

For some reason, my biggest concern is cutting capacity and blade adjustment.

Pekka

PK:
I have a policy of never buying a tool with "mini", "multi", or "in one" in its name.
As such I own a vice mounted manual press brake of the same designs you show. It works really well and will bend 1mm steel to 300(ish)mm wide, and 1.5mm to about 100mm wide.
Quite happy with it for the amount it gets used.

I also have used a friends vice mounted rollers, which are of similar origin and they did the job..

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