search magnifier Breadcrumb Home Articles Bending Techniques for Aluminum Differ From Steel Bending Techniques for Aluminum Differ From Steel When metal roofing manufacturers first introduced aluminum material for standing seam metal roofing, much of the aluminum produced was .032 thickness. However, over the years the building products industry has been gravitating to thicker roofing and trim material, especially in aluminum. And, Dade County Florida enacted new wind uplift rules for metal roofing that required the use of .040 aluminum for roofs and .050 thickness for trim material to meet the rule requirements. Consequently, contractors were transitioning from the use of .018 to .024 thick Galvalume or Hot Dipped Galvanized steel roofing and trim products to .032 to .050 thick Aluminum. Many contractors assumed aluminum bent the same as steel and therefore thought little adjustment was needed to make crisp bends on aluminum as they had done with steel. This resulted in some contractors bending these heavier aluminum products beyond their tensile strength limits resulting in cracking of the metal and paint as well as leaving a silver look from the crazed aluminum under the paint. By properly adjusting the sheet metal bending brake contractors can keep the aluminum alloy from cracking under the strain of bending. To set up the hand brake to perform the bend, recess the top clamping leaf of the hand brake. This will reduce the amount of strain applied to the aluminum and still allow you to get a proper bend on the aluminum alloy sheet. And remember one basic theory relates to the radius of the bend. You can manufacture a straight line bend if you use a guideline of three to five times the thickness. Any sharper of a bend would invite cracking in the material. Aluminum has a tendency to crack and does not bend the same as steel in conventional press brakes. Aluminum also requires a calculation of the bend radius based on the thickness of the aluminum. The normal rule-of-thumb is the bend radius for aluminum should be 3-5 times the thickness of the metal; this requires the use of a nose bar equivalent to: .064” to .096”. All research indicates this approach offers the best way to bend aluminum without crazing/cracking of the paint and metal. Using the rule of thumb above, the Bend Radius range for various Englert aluminum gauges is as follows: .96-.16”032 = .0 .040 = .12-.2” For more information on aluminum bending please contact Englert. Related Articles Difference Between Galvalume And Galvanized In Met… Galvalume Versus Galvanized Englert’s nationwide team of… READ MORE VIEW ARTICLES ON METAL ROOFING AND GUTTER SYSTEMS Choose the Right Underlayment Material for Your Me… Roofing Underlayment Materials Underlayment products for use… READ MORE VIEW ARTICLES ON METAL ROOFING AND GUTTER SYSTEMS Company COMPANY About Locations Testimonials Careers Contact Solutions SOLUTIONS Contractors Architects Business / Home Owners Roofing and Panels ROOFING & PANELS Metal Roofing Metal Wall Panels Soffits Roofing Accessories Retrofit Framing Roofing Coil Gutters GUTTERS K-Style Series 56X MicroGuard SureGuard LeafGuard Gutter Coil Machines MACHINES Roofing Machines Gutter Machines Folding & Shearing Machine Repair Resources RESOURCES Resource Center Photo Gallery Visualizer Certifications & Courses Catalogs Articles Technical Details Center WARRANTIES Warranty Center CALL US 1.800.ENGLERT CONTACT US CONTACT AN ENGLERT SUPPORT REPRESENTATIVE FOR HELP CONNECT WITH US COPYRIGHT 2021 - ENGLERT INC. - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Accessibility StatementSitemapTerms & PrivacyCookie ListCookie Preferences By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Reject All Accept All Cookies Cookies Settings