What is the easiest thin steel sheet to bend without cracking?

[elowen01Participant @elowen01]

I need to make a few small bent parts from thin steel sheet and I am not sure what material would be the easiest to work with.

The parts are fairly simple, but I would like to avoid cracking at the bends and keep the shape reasonably consistent. I can cut the blanks myself and use a small press brake or a simple forming tool.

Would mild steel be the obvious choice, or would something like tinplate be suitable for this kind of job?

I am also unsure how much the sheet thickness and temper affect the result. I have noticed that some thin sheets bend quite easily, while others spring back more than expected or crack near the edge.

For a small workshop project, what would you normally look for when choosing the material?

Would you recommend making a few test bends first, or is there a simple way to estimate the bend radius and springback before making the tool?

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Need more details, a bit of tin plate will not support much so what is the use, length of bend, etc

If mild steel CR4 is what gets used for fabrication work where bending is needed. S275 is not too bad either,

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

As per Jason, need more info ! Ordinary mild steel, eg Panels from a washing machine or other domestic appliance may do the job, depends on what your making.  Noel

[MacolmParticipant @macolm]

Ordinary thin (sub mm) Zintec (electroplated mild steel) folds just fine. Zero inside radius seems to work without cracking, but is poor practice for anything subject to repeated stress or vibration. You may be able to buy sufficiently large offcuts from sheet metal workers, since a full sheet is hard to manage for ordinary folk. It also spot welds easily if you have access to the facility.

 

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, a too tighter bend on the metal you are bending can cause cracking, so it’s best to look up bend allowances for sheet metal bending, also running a finishing-cut file along the corners of the edges will help to stop cracking. The ZEUS precision pocket book has information about bend allowances, but there are plenty of charts online. But as others have, a bit more information will help with the advice being given.

Regards Nick.

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