A common question we get is what tempers are best for bending aluminium.
This is an important question when buying material as the temper can greatly affect the outcome of the bending process. Using the correct temper for the job can reduce work time and costs over the course of a project.
We would suggest using the 6XXX series for bending as the grade has been very successful during bending trials over many years.
Harder or stiffer sections will often call for more tooling, time and effort to get the curves within dimensional tolerance.
Another aspect affected by the alloy and temper is the minimum radius. Some alloys are more forgiving during the bending process while some will be more prone to breaking or cracking. This means that stiffer sections are often limited with how tight each bend can be.
We have put together a quick reference table to give a good idea of the bending capabilities of a number of alloys and tempers. Note that we have not included all possibilities, and if your product is not listed, that does not necessarily mean we are unable to bend it.
Quick Reference Table
Our aluminium bending machine range have been service tested over years to prove their abilities. Bending a wide range for profiles in all shapes, sizes, alloys and tempers. We’ve found that time, effort and expertise allows our machines to complete projects that would have otherwise been impossible on other machinery.