# Sheet Metal Forming & Bending

https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/cutting-forming/forming

Sheet metal forming folds flat sheet into brackets, channels, and trays by pressing it between a punch and a die on a press brake. K-Display in Chicago forms carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, galvanized steel, and galvanneal parts from customer formed drawings and models.

## Overview
A press brake lowers a punch into a die, the grooved block below the sheet, and folds the blank along a straight line, and a sequence of bends turns it into a bracket, channel, or tray. The metal springs back a little when the punch lifts, so each fold is pressed slightly past its final angle. Formed parts in carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, galvanized steel, and galvanneal leave bare, or welded, powder coated, and fitted with hardware. CNC punching forms a small raised or recessed detail in the flat sheet with a forming tool, before any bend is made.

## Materials
- Carbon steel
- Galvanized steel
- Galvanneal
- Stainless steel
- Aluminum

## Applications
- Mounting brackets folded from one blank, with a face that seats against the mount
- Channels with two flanges that stiffen a panel or locate a component
- Enclosure panels and covers with bent edges that stiffen the flat sheet
- Trays and chassis sections with several bends that hold components

## Process
- Fold the first bend: The blank lies across the die and the punch folds the first bend to its angle.
- Fold the rest in order: We fold the remaining bends one at a time, with the tooling and the bend order following the material, thickness, and flange length, until the last flange is up.
- Move the part onward: Formed parts ship bare, or are welded, powder coated, fitted with hardware, and assembled first.

## Design considerations
A tall flange blocks the punch that folds the next one, so on a channel one upright wall restricts access to the other. Dimension each flange height on the formed view; we set the bend order from those heights so the punch has room for every bend. Metal moves as it bends and pulls a nearby hole out of round. Keep holes and slots clear of every bend line on the drawing; we cut them in the flat, so a feature drawn inside the bend zone is stretched by the fold. Where a bend ends near an edge or a feature, the sheet tears unless a bend relief, a small cutout at the end of the bend, separates bent…

## FAQ
**What information should a formed-part drawing include?**
Include material and thickness, bend geometry, critical dimensions, tolerances and finish requirements.

**Can K-Display review a formed assembly?**
Yes. Share the full assembly context so the team can evaluate how individual formed parts fit the finished build.

## Related pages
- [Laser Cutting](https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/cutting-forming/laser-cutting)
- [CNC Punching](https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/cutting-forming/cnc-punching)
- [MIG & TIG Welding](https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/welding/mig-tig-welding)
- [Custom Sheet Metal Mounting Brackets](https://kdisplay.com/products/brackets-plates/mounting-brackets)
- [Custom Machine Housings & Covers](https://kdisplay.com/products/panels-covers/machine-housings-covers)
- [Custom Rolling Door Components](https://kdisplay.com/products/door-access-systems/rolling-door-components)
- [Custom Cable & Sensor Brackets](https://kdisplay.com/products/brackets-plates/cable-sensor-brackets)