Press Brakes

What Does a Press Brake Do?

A press brake is a machine used for bending sheet metal and metal plates, most commonly sheet metal. It forms predetermined bends by clamping the workpiece between a matching top tool and bottom die. Typically, two C-frames form the sides of the press brake, connected to a table at the bottom and on a movable beam at the top. The bottom tool is mounted on the table, with the top tool mounted on the upper beam.

A Horizontal Press Brake folds flat bars and sheets into completely closed shapes. The concept of this horizontal bending press brake allows folding operations that are impossible to be carried out on a conventional press brake. You can also look forward to fast tool changes, punches, and dies: Changes usually don’t take more than 30 seconds.

Types of Press Brakes

A brake can be described by basic parameters, such as the force or tonnage and the working length. Additional parameters include the stroke length, the distance between the frame uprights or side housings, the distance to the back gauge, and work height. The upper beam usually operates at a speed ranging from 1 to 15 mm/s.

There are several types of press brakes including nut-stop hydraulic, synchro hydraulic, electric and hybrid.

Hydraulic presses operate by means of two synchronized hydraulic cylinders on the C-frames moving the upper beam. Servo-electric brakes use a servo-motor to drive a ball screw or belt drive to exert tonnage on the ram. Historically, a mechanical press entailed energy that was added to a flywheel with an electric motor. A clutch engages the flywheel to power a crank mechanism that moves the ram vertically. Accuracy and speed are two advantages of the mechanical press. Until the 1950s, mechanical brakes dominated the world market. The advent of better hydraulics and computer controls has led to hydraulic machines being the most popular. Today’s press brakes are controlled by two types of controls, NC (Numeric Controlled) and CNC (Computer Numeric Controlled). NC is a basic controller, whereas the CNC is the high-end controller, although the initial outlay might be more than an NC, a CNC controller can be more effective, keeping costs down in the long run.

Selecting the Right Press Brake

At Onix Machinery we offer Horizontal Press Brakes from Baileigh Industrial and Edwards Manufacturing. The available models from both companies include versatility, and strength and are very user-friendly. Baileigh HPB-20 is a 20 Ton Horizontal Bending Press and the Edwards 20 Ton Horizontal Press connects to an existing Edwards Ironworker. On the Press brake side of things, we offer the Baileigh BP-3305CNC Press Brake with 33 Tons and 63” of bending length, ideal for small and medium shops that need a first press brake or a secondary machine to alleviate the load on existing larger press brakes.