---
title: "Press Brake Bending: Why You're Doing It All Wrong"
description: This article is about the most common problems in press brake bending and the proper way to form on a press brake including using the correct tooling, machine, gauging and controls.
---

[SFMS Blog | Southern Fabricating Machinery Sales ](https://www.southernfabsales.com/blog)

# [Press Brake Bending: Why You're Doing It All Wrong](https://www.southernfabsales.com/blog/press-brake-bending-tips)

 Written by [Southern Fabricating Machinery Sales](https://www.southernfabsales.com/blog/author/southern-fabricating-machinery-sales) | February 24, 2020

As a machinery dealer offering a variety of used equipment, we are often asked about equipment to meet a specific budget a buyer has in mind, while rarely being asked about a buyer's potential application. While budgets are important, buying the right machine that will make your shop more productive and profitable ought to rank even higher on the scale of importance. You can buy the right machine 1 time but you can have the wrong machine on your floor every day for the next 10 years costing you money and frustration. 

## How Press Brake Bending Works

Before you can choose the right machine you should understand the basics of what a press brake is and how it works. Although you may know a little about forming on a press brake, quick review could never hurt.

1. Press Brakes ARE NOT designated by material capacity (i.e. ¼” X 10’ brake). Although we hear this verbiage daily, it is simply wrong (although there were press brake manufacturers that rated their machines by bending capacity to sell to an unknowledgeable buyer). Press Brakes, in fact, are rated by **Tonnage** and it is that Tonnage applied over a specific Punch, Die, Material Type, Material Thickness and Material Length that determine WHAT a press brake can form. 
2. A Press Brake is made up of at least 1 important axis, The Ram (Y-Axis) moving Up/Down (or some machines are designed to move the bed up/down adversely). The positioning of the ram determines the ANGLE of the part being formed. The more accurately the ram can position and reposition the more accurately you theoretically (remember material plays a big part too) can form. A second, almost as critical axis is the Backgage (X) axis. The backgage provides the accuracy in length of the flange being formed (the lip being bent up). 
3. A press brake works by taking a punch under force and pressing the plate material into the curvature of the die. The deeper the punch pushes the material into the die, the greater the angle of the bend up to the angle of the die itself minus slight springback in the material. 
4. Multiple Axis added to a press brake can make more complex bending applications easy. Axis like R-Axis (backgauge gauge fingers moving up and down), Z-Axis (back gauge fingers moving side-side) and  CNC Crowning are the most common additional press brake axis.

## Common Press Brake Bending Mistakes

Some of the more common press brake bending mistakes can be caused by part design or by operation. Consider these common issues when designing parts for forming.

- Placing holes, slots, notches or any other features too close to bend radius.
- Requiring a flange that is too narrow.
- Choosing a bend radius that is too tight for the material.
- Forming offsets (jogs) too close to one another.

## Press Brake Bending Tips

Some of the best press brake bending tips are located in an article we wrote titled: [How to Avoid The Top 4 Press Brake Bending Problems](https://www.southernfabsales.com/blog/avoid-top-press-brake-bending-problems). In that article we described the best practices to avoid common forming problems. We also posted another article covering the [4 Press Brake Bending Basics You Need to Know](https://www.southernfabsales.com/blog/press-brake-bending-basics). Together these can provide many press brake bending tips and strategies to ensure your successfully forming parts in your shop. Having the right press brake in the first place goes a long way to ensuring your doing it right when forming fabricated parts. Equipping that machine with the right Number of Axis, Options and Accessories is next in the importance for success. 

If you are interested in more articles like this, please check out our Blog on Press Brakes [Linked Here](https://www.southernfabsales.com/blog/topic/press-brake) and sign up to be notified when these, or other articles are released. If you are in the market for or budgeting for a press brake [***CLICK HERE***](https://www.southernfabsales.com/machines/tag/press-brake) to visit our available press brakes pages. If you would like to submit articles for consideration or submit corrections please contact us [HERE](https://www.southernfabsales.com/contact-us) or by calling us directly at 813-444-4555 or via the web at [www.southernfabsales.com](https://www.southernfabsales.com/)

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