Sharp corner bend in aluminum.

[armandolo]

Hi,

I have a requirement to make a office sign (wayfinding) where the front of the sign in polyurethane painted 1/8 aluminum that has a sharp bend at the top towards the wall.

Im not sure hot to get that perfect sharp angle. Bending will have a radius which is unacceptable. Any ideas???

 

[DizzyMarkus]

How thick? We always did window casings and house trims with a aluminum brake :


http://www.industrialladder.com/productDetails.do?productID=4779&gclid=CJiOkZHIhsICFcxQ7AodVjgA6A

Hope thats what ya meant--- local building contractor should have one and make the bend for nadda :0)

Markus

 

[Marlene]

if you don't have a brake you can call a local heating & ventilating company and ask if they can do your bends. usually the charge is pretty small for this

 

[armandolo]

Forgot mention: the thicknes is 1/8th.

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

+1+1+1 for a break. That is what you will need to get your sign correct. Make sure the make up of your aluminum can handle being bent. A lot of aluminum will crack when you try to put a 90 on it.

 

[armandolo]

Break can't do a sharp corner though especially on 1/8 thick piece can it? The corner needs to be a sharp corner almost like an extruded alum angle (no radius or 1/64th radius)

 

[AF]

The only way to get a sharp corner is with an extrusion. If you need quite a few of them, find an extruder with low die charges and a low minimum weight per order and have them quote it. In reality, once your client sees the high cost of an extruded corner versus the 1/8" radius corner from a brake they will likely choose the brake metal.

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

Just ask around for someone that has a brake that will work up to 16ga. Most brakes should be able to handle that piece of aluminum. There might be a tiny radius. I would find a metal shop. Not a HVAC shop because they can bend it but they bend for their own needs. A metal shop will have more knowledge of what they can do and what the end product will be like.

 

[fixtureman]

A miter fod bit on a cnc could do it. We do this on dibond sintra and plexi all the time

 

[Pat Whatley]

Cut and weld.

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

A miter fod bit on a cnc could do it. We do this on dibond sintra and plexi all the time

Could you give a little more detail on the tool and how a miter bit can put a bend on 18th inch aluminum.

 

[rjssigns]

Without seeing the layout its tough to give a solution. Given what I think I know(which ain't much) I'd use pieces of aluminum angle and TIG them together.

 

[J Hill Designs]

Could you give a little more detail on the tool and how a miter bit can put a bend on 18th inch aluminum.

V-Groove (with router or V-grove saw blade) backside of aluminum, bend, tack weld. pretty durned sharp corner

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

V-Groove (with router or V-grove saw blade) backside of aluminum, bend, tack weld. pretty durned sharp corner

Didn't think about that. Put a groove in the backside like you would for channel letters. Should be able to make a really sharp corner with that.

 

[J Hill Designs]

for this scenario, I would probably just LORD's the face 1/8" alum to some sharp corner aluminum angle

 

[Marlene]

Just ask around for someone that has a brake that will work up to 16ga. Most brakes should be able to handle that piece of aluminum. There might be a tiny radius. I would find a metal shop. Not a HVAC shop because they can bend it but they bend for their own needs. A metal shop will have more knowledge of what they can do and what the end product will be like.

if you find a HVAC shop that makes their own duct work I should have said. we have all our bends done at our local HVAC shop

 

[Rick]

for this scenario, I would probably just LORD's the face 1/8" alum to some sharp corner aluminum angle

this is what I would do...