How Material Affects Tube Bending Quality | Metal Fabrication

If your product requires tube bending, the material is absolutely important. Certain materials are easier to bend, and the final product has different qualities.

This article will focus on steel and aluminum because they are the most common materials used for pipes. (To find out which steel or aluminum is best for your application, please check this article.) If you have questions about other materials, please feel free to contact us. info@zec-industrygroup.com  

How Does Material Affect Tube Bending Quality?

1.  QUALITY OF MATERIAL

Do we even need to speak up? The basic quality of the selected material, regardless of grade or size, will affect its performance in the bending machine.

When bending inferior materials, the following will happen:

· Poor-quality bends

· Higher scrap rate

· More likely to break, break or other damage

If your application relies on solid metal tubes, then the last thing you need to do is to fail the end user.

2.  CATEGORY OF MATERIAL

Both stainless steel and aluminum are divided into different grades. Certain grades perform better when welded, treated, or bent. Which grades produce the highest quality end product with tube bending?

Stainless steel and aluminum are divided into different grades. Certain grades perform better when welding, handling or bending. Which grade of tube can produce the highest quality final product?

Steel

· 304 -  Excellent formability. High strength. High corrosion resistance. 

· 316 - Excellent formability. high strength. Very high corrosion resistance.

· 444 - Good formability. Medium to high strength. Great corrosion resistance.

· 

Aluminum

· 3003 -  best cold workability. Medium strength. High elongation.

· 5052 - great formability. High strength. High corrosion resistance for aluminum.

· 6061 - good for bending when annealed. Versatile. Heat treatable. No tight bends.

Although the physical properties (hardness, brittleness) of carbon steel and low carbon steel make it more difficult, carbon steel and low carbon steel are also very common to be bent.

3.  SIZE OF MATERIAL

Wall thickness affects the possibility of springback and bending. Obviously, metal with thinner walls is easier to bend. Thicker materials require more consideration to maintain bending and meet precise tolerances.

The material length also affects the bending quality. Longer tubing is easier to stabilize and control rebound. Especially for rotary stretch bending machines, you may need to leave enough length on both sides of the elbow to hold the machine tightly. If your material needs to be particularly short, you should consider another bending method.

Choosing the Right Material for Tube Bending

This is the main point:

· Material quality affects final part quality and bending quality

· Some metal grades are easier to bend and bend better

· The thickness and length of the material will affect the ease of bending and tolerance

Any tube fabrication or metal fabrication inquiries, welcome here. info@zec-industrygroup.com