Biggest issue I’ve seen is the ability to fold a hem closed is relying on the magnetic force, and sometimes doesn’t do as well as the apron brake would. If bending aluminum the magnet has no effect on the material so the capacity seems to decrease significantly.
The Magna Brake is best suited to being a support unit for a standard brake.
When I used to do a lot of custom tanks it allows you to quickly do various radius’ and get accurate closure of the seam. The radius bar is pretty much the same piece to make between an apron brake and the Magna Brake but there is no way you can close a 4 sided tank in a standard apron without some bench work. Much crisper in the Mag
The later machines didn’t really improve the minimum distance between reverse bends but they did employ a stronger (E-section) design, which pushed the maximum thickness capacity from 1.2mm to 1.6mm.
I recently posted some information on my website which showed how to get closer reverse bends. See here:
Since the profile is a tapered “top-hat” you could probably do all 4 bends on your Magnabend, although possibly the sides of the top-hat may have to have a little more taper:
Like most tools and machines the Magnabend has pluses and minuses.
Probably its most significant limitation is the thickness capacity.
The E-type Magnabend will bend 1.6mm (16 gauge) sheet metal although the bends in that material are not particularly sharp.
But provided you are working in thinner gauges then the Magnabend is generally more versatile than other folders.
Every machine has its limitations, it is what makes metal-work interesting sometimes
Post time: Apr-04-2023