Next, let’s discuss the features of press brake fixtures.

Characteristics of press brake fixtures:

1. The press brake clamps are made of steel and undergo special heat treatment, resulting in high hardness, excellent wear resistance, and the ability to withstand substantial clamping forces. However, each clamp has a specified clamping pressure rating in tonnes per meter; therefore, when selecting a clamp, it is essential to choose the appropriate length—i.e., the amount of clamping force per meter—and ensure that the actual clamping force does not exceed the rating indicated for that particular clamp.

2. To prevent damage to the press brake tooling, it is stipulated that only upper and lower dies with a length greater than 300 mm may be used as the origin. After origin calibration, upper and lower dies of the same height may be employed; the use of separate small modules to establish the origin is strictly prohibited. The origin must be set based on the origin pressure specified in the AMADA system.

3. When using press brake fixtures, because the fixtures come in different heights, only fixtures of the same height can be used on the machine; fixtures of different heights are not interchangeable.

4. When bending acute angles or right angles, a 30-degree die should be selected: first bend the acute angle, then perform the pressing operation. When bending fillet radii, the corresponding upper and lower dies for the fillet radius must be used.

5. When bending long workpieces, avoid using parting lines to minimize tool marks; instead, opt for a single-groove die, as the outer radius R of the V-shaped groove in the single-groove die is larger, making it less prone to indentation.

6. When selecting the upper die, we must first understand all the fixture parameters and then determine which die to use based on the shape of the product we need to form.

What impact does low precision of the upper die in a press brake fixture have on the product?

1. The R-radius accuracy of the upper die on the press brake is insufficient, resulting in excessively large arcs at the bend of the workpiece, non-right angles, and localized semi-circular or quarter-circular profiles, which detracts from the overall aesthetic appearance.

2. The punch shank lacks sufficient precision. Typically, the punch shank is used to secure the upper die of a press brake; if this component does not meet the required tolerances, it can compromise the installation of the upper die, resulting in either unstable die mounting or deviations in overall parallelism.

3. The cutting-edge accuracy is poor, directly affecting the product: the bending angle fails to meet the drawing specifications, resulting in large tolerances and an excessively large or small bend angle.

4. Poor cavity accuracy: Generally, the purpose of the die cavity is to provide clearance for the part’s location; however, if the die cavity on the press brake lacks sufficient accuracy, the immediate consequence is that the part cannot be properly cleared during forming. As a result, the inner bend corner will be forced against the cavity, causing deformation of the bent section and compromising the part’s dimensional accuracy.

In the manufacturing of press brake tooling, the accuracy of the upper die is often more critical than that of the lower die, because the bend angle of the formed part is primarily determined by the upper die; in other words, the upper die dictates the part’s angle.

That concludes our explanation. We hope it has been helpful, and thank you for watching. See you next time!