After the parts have been cut, they need to be either bent or rolled into their final shapes. The machines typically used for this are bending brakes and plate rollers.
CNC bending brakes can significantly increase the speed with which parts are bent. There is no need to manually align the bend lines in the machine since it automatically moves the backstops to the required location. The operator just needs to push the plate against the backstops which have been precisely positioned and the machine will perform the bend. Operators are still required to place the part into the machine in the correct order.
A CNC roller reduces the time taken to produce cylindrical or conical sheet metal parts by automating most of the rolling process. A CNC roller can produce cylindrical parts as well as non-cylindrical hollow parts. Some machines can virtually eliminate flat spots without having to re-roll the cylinder after welding.
A machine shop can benefit greatly from the wide range of sheet metal fabrication machines available. The cost of these machines demands a careful, step-by-step plan for adding one to your shop’s capabilities. This can be done by determining which process is currently causing the biggest production bottleneck or on which machine can unlock new revenue streams, and focusing efforts on that one process. This stepwise approach is the most cost-effective way of selecting CNC machines for sheet metal processes.
