hydraulic press brakes manufacturer
A press brake is a machine tool designed to bend sheet metal. Press brakes come in many shapes and sizes whether hydraulic press brakes or mechanical press brakes, and various configurations in terms of frame, stroke, bend force delivery etc. In this post we will discuss at a high level some of the differences, quirks, advantages and disadvantages of these machines.
But first an over view. The press brake consists of 6 main components:
These 6 components come together in a system (often with many more accessories) that provides the means by which sheet metal plates of varying lengths can be formed with varying angles and flange lengths. Advanced techniques can result in tube forming, box bending, multi-station bending and even cone bending.
At its most basic a press brake delivers force through a longitudinal top beam in a downward stroke, towards a fixed parallel bottom beam. A variation of this of is an upward stroking machine, whereby the bottom table delivers the pressure to form the sheet metal in an upward motion, such as the Promecam system. Developed by the French, this system had numerous advantages including a perfectly balanced delivery of pressure across the length of the table and longer service life because the main wear points are bearings rather than slides. It does however require that bending is done from the centre of the machine, careful calibration of the balancing system to bend evenly and in larger capacities a specially designed foundation. The up stroker can, if maintained and used correctly, give many years of excellent service.