A Press brake is an indispensable machine tool used for sheet bending and cutting metals in different shapes. With the help of a die the sheet can be molded and shaped into various forms. These machines are available in various sizes to bend sheets of different sizes. They are found in almost all industrial units.
Metals like brass, steel, aluminium, copper, tin etc. can be bent and shaped with press brakes. These are used for making objects like metal enclosures, frames, plates, cabinets etc.
Many different types of press brakes are available like;
Manual Press Brakes – Before the invention of more advanced press brakes, manual press brakes were the only machines for bending metal sheets. Force is applied with a screw for bending the metal sheet.
Mechanical Press Brakes – An electric motor and a flywheel are used to apply force. Dies and machinery used by these machines are more costly. The electric motor powers the flywheel which in turn powers the crank mechanism. This moves the ram to bend the metal sheet.
Hydraulic Press Brakes– These work with the pressure exerted by the hydraulic liquid or oil. They are extra flexible, have high capacity, are more durable and efficient. These are very easy to use and maintenance cost is low.
Hydraulic press brakes do not vibrate and the products made are of high quality. These machines consume less power and the risk factor is low. Compared to mechanical press brakes these are more efficient. You can easily adjust the speed according to the requirement.
Pneumatic Press Brakes – A compressor is used to supply air power for bending the metal sheets. This is used for jobs where less pressure is needed. These press brakes are easy to use.
CNC Press brake – These metal folding machines are very fast and use advanced technology. Their controls are computer based so the instructions can be pre set.
Using these machines the production increases and the fabricated product is accurate and unfailing. While duplicating the metal folds exact accuracy is maintained. The fold in the last piece will be just the same as in the first piece. These machines are cost efficient since wastage is minimum. Large number of equipments can be made fast maintaining exact accuracy.
CNC Electro Hydraulic Synchronous Press
This press brake uses advanced technology and is controlled by hydraulic and computer. It works with the help of coordinated hydraulic cylinders. The hydraulic cylinders are controlled with the proportional valve and the machine works synchronously, continually and precisely. To attain the desired pressure to form the metal these machines use electric motor as well as hydraulic cylinders.
As these press brakes are controlled by computers, the products made with them are accurate up to a fraction of a millimeter. The computer can calculate and control the pressure required for bending the metal. These are smooth to operate, are safe and use less energy.
Conclusion
Different types of press brakes are being used widely in the industries to cut and mould metals into various shapes. For making small boxes from metals like brass or aluminium, press brakes operated by hand are used. For more difficult jobs large industrial machines are used depending on the industrial requirement. Different Press brakes are used in different industrial environment, so you can select the best one from above that suits your industrial needs utmost.