Sheet metal servo flexible folding center panel bending machine VS CNC bending machine press brake
Bending and folding: Did your workshop choose the right machine?
When it comes to the forming part of the production line, the first machine that comes to mind is usually a bending machine press brake. This is a method of bending the material into the final shape of the part. As some manufacturers will think of, there is another viable part forming solution: a folding machine.
Flanging machine and folding machine are the most popular names in the industry. Generally, we call it the sheet metal servo flexible bending center or the panel bending center. It can produce many of the same geometric figures as traditional bending machine press brakes. Another advantage is that it makes certain parts easier to produce, because all of them use standard tools.
sheet metal servo flexible hemming center panel bending machine
Normally, the curved center of the panel has a pair of blades that form a flange in the horizontal direction, and a set of blank holders can stably hold the material. This design enables the bending center to produce parts more efficiently, and can even produce bends that would otherwise require special processing on a CNC hydraulic bending machine press brake.
Like many manufacturing techniques, not every part fits well into the hemming center. Below, we tell you which parts are suitable for flanging bending processing; which parts can be better produced by CNC bending machine press brake to help you determine whether to buy a CNC bending machine press brake or a sheet metal servo flexible hemming center.
1. Box-shaped workpiece
Anyone familiar with the folding machine knows that the speed of the sheet metal servo flexible flanging center is unparalleled when producing traditional box-shaped parts. Due to the way the hem center is bent, these machines can produce boxes, lids and other similar shapes in a very fast and precise manner. The folding machine can bend the entire side of the box at once, and it can even easily handle the return blue method on the box
CNC bending machine press brakes can also produce boxes without problems, but this is usually an operator-intensive process. Throughout the production process, tool settings and parts operations are the same.
The folding center panel bending machine usually only needs half the time of the bending machine press brake to process such a part, but there are some restrictions. For example, it will be limited by the depth of the box. Due to the limited throat depth and opening height of the panel bending center, we need to use a CNC bending machine press brake when the box depth is too high.
2. Large panel
Primapress sheet metal servo flexible hemming center is often an ideal choice for large parts with different profiles. Not necessarily because of the complexity of the parts, but because of the larger panels, which usually require multiple operators or auxiliary cranes to support the forming on the CNC bending machine press brake
At this time, using the hemming center can directly load the raw materials into the worktable, and a single operator can process and form it in a minimum step. The advantage of the hemming center is that it is easy to highlight on large panels, especially the clamping of sheets that can be set automatically.
3. Small complex profile
Particularly small parts with complex geometric structures may cause safety hazards when processed on CNC bending. These small geometric figures usually force the operator to bring their fingers closer to the tool, creating a potential safety hazard. When the hemming center is used for part processing, there is no such threat.
When bending more complex geometric shapes, the semi-automatic hemming center is more advantageous because the operator can manipulate the parts in the process, which enables the machine to produce a narrower shape.
4. Internal bending
For internal bending, the center of the hemming shows a limitation. For hemming equipment, the most common problem is a part that is similar to a frame and has internal bending in the geometry. Due to the location of the holder and curved blades, these internal bends are often difficult to produce on the panel bender. In this case, it may be better for users to choose to customize a high-end multi-axis high-precision CNC bending machine press brake.