A new concept in sheet-metal bending technology

The fundamental principle of the Magnetic sheet metal brake machine is that it uses electromagnetic, rather than mechanical, clamping. The machine is basically a long electromagnet with a steel clampbar located above it. In operation, a sheetmetal workpiece is clamped between the two by a force of many tonnes. A bend is formed by rotating the bending beam which is mounted on special hinges at the front of the machine. This bends the workpiece around the front edge of the clamp-bar.

Using the machine is simplicity itself… slip the sheetmetal workpiece in under the clamp-bar; press the start-button to initiate clamping; pull the handle to form the bend to the desired angle; and then return the handle to automatically release the clamping force. The folded workpiece may now be removed or repositioned ready for another bend.

If a large lift is required, eg. to allow the insertion of a previously bent workpiece, the clamp-bar may be manually lifted to any required height. Conveniently located adjusters at each end of the clamp-bar allow easy adjustment of the bend radius produced in workpieces of various thicknesses. If the rated capacity of the MAGNABEND™ is exceeded then the clamp-bar simply releases, thus minimising the possibility of damage to the machine. A graduated scale continuously indicates the bend angle.

Magnetic clamping means that bending loads are taken right at the point where they are generated; forces do not have to be transferred to support structures at the ends of the machine. This in turn means that the clamping member does not need any structural bulk and hence can be made much more compact and less hindering. (The thickness of the clampbar is determined only by its requirement to carry sufficient magnetic flux and not by structural considerations at all.)

The unique centerless compound hinges which have been developed especially for the Magnetic sheet metal brake, are distributed along the length of the bending beam and thus, like the clampbar, take bending loads close to where they are generated.

The combined effect of the magnetic clamping with the special centerless hinges means that the Magnetic sheet metal brake is a very compact, space saving, machine with a very high strength-to-weight ratio.

Accessories such as backstops for locating the workpiece, and a set of short clampbars that plug-together are standard with all models. Further accessories include narrow clampbars, slotted clampbars (for forming shallow boxes more quickly), foot-switches, and power shears with guide for straight distortion-free cutting.

Special tooling can be quickly improvised from pieces of steel to help fold-up difficult shapes, and for production work the standard clampbars can be replaced by specialised tooling.

All Magnetic sheet metal brake machines come with a detailed manual which covers how to use the machines as well as how to make various common items.

Operator Safety is enhanced by a two-handed electrical interlock that ensures a safe pre-clamping force is applied before full clamping occurs.

A 12-month warranty covers faulty materials and workmanship on the machines and accessories.