Press Brake: How Does it Work?

Blog | February 28th, 2020

A press brake is a machine pressing tool that can bend a metal sheet or plate into a shape that is set by its die material. The bending action of the press brake is done by clamping the metal sheet or plate between a matching punch and the die. When defined, the bending action of the press brake seems pretty straightforward. However, the processes behind the bending action require a lot of principles for the press brake to work.

Press Brake Composition

The whole composition of a press brake is smartly crafted by engineers and designers who want to make the metal bending activity easier. The press brake machine normally includes four main parts: mechanical parts, electrical parts, hydraulic parts, and the NC/CNC controller.

Mechanical parts are moving parts that make the metal bending action happen. A press brake is composed of a frame, ram, a synchronisation system, back gauge, front support arms, foot pedal switch, and top punch clamps. Electrical parts, on the other hand, supply the power needed by the press brake for its metal bending process.

Just like other equipment, the hydraulic system of a press brake provides the needed energy and control for the metal bending process. The hydraulic control system can manage not just only the positioning of the hydraulic cylinder but also the synchronous operation of the bending process whenever the machine is fully loaded.

The Metal Bending Action

The first thing that you must do on a press break is to fix the top punch and bottom die on your worktable. You must drive the left and right cylinders for them to extend. The returning action, otherwise, only happens if you control the action of the valve. This specific action makes the upper beam of the press brake machine to rise and fall.

Through the CNC system, the feedback of the grating signal and the flow from the proportional valve can work together with the synchronous action of the ram. This same system can also control the opening of the two valves of the cylinders. The redistribution of flow in the cylinder is possible through the use of the servo valve.

You must remember that the relative motion of the worktable and the shape of the punch and die are both utilised by the hydraulic transmission. And while the bending process of metal can work at different angles, they can only be formed one angle at a time. The number of newly measured pulses provides the amount of bending movement required by the machine.

The hydraulic system of a press brake has cylinders that have their own control circuit, servo valve, and filling valve. The numerical control system, on the other hand, has a display screen that can be used for human-machine dialogue and bending process simulation.

The metal bending action may look like complicated. But as soon as you learn how to use the press brake, it will make your metal bending process easier than ever before. If you have more questions about press brake, you can give us a call now at McKean’s Sheetmetal Fabricators.

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