Cold Bending
Cold bending is a metal working process that is used to change the shape of metal, without using any special heat treatments or additional mechanical components. Cold bending typically involves passing metal between two flat surfaces, such as rollers or dies, in order to reduce the metal’s overall size, increase length or reduce metal thickness.
The advantages of cold bending are numerous. It can help conserve a metal’s hardness, strength and toughness, as no special heat treatments are required. Additionally, there is no hazardous waste generated from this process. It can be used to create complex parts with a high degree of accuracy, allowing for complex shapes in a short amount of time. Cold bending can also achieve extremely tight radiuses, resulting in a strong, solid final product.
When manufacturing with cold bending there are some key steps that need to be taken. The metal must be cut and trimmed to specified dimensions and the right tooling and equipment needs to be selected in order to complete the task. Ensuring that the right materials are used eliminates the chance of failure. Additionally, pre-bending the metal is often recommended, as it helps the bending process yield that much better results.
Cold bending is commonly used in many industries such as aerospace, medical, automotive and more. In aerospace, cold bending is used to create parts that must meet stringent accuracy requirements and structural strength, such as wings, turbine blades and exhaust components. In the medical industry, cold bending is used for the creation of components such as surgical tools, stents and implants. Automotive industries rely on cold bending for creating parts such as axles, gearbox casings and exhaust systems. Cold bending is also used to create a variety of other components in any industry where complex designs and unrivaled precision are required.
For many applications, cold bending has become an increasingly popular choice of production due to its remarkable accuracy and range of shapes and angles that can be achieved. Cold bending is considered a cost-effective route, as it requires minimal energy and no physical forming machinery like forging or casting. Additionally, cold bending does not create stress or warping on the metal as heat treatments might, which helps to preserve the material’s overall strength.
Overall, cold bending is an essential process in the production of parts with many advantages. The process provides reliable results, very tight radii and complex shapes, as well as saves on cost and time. With the correct tools and materials, cold bending is the perfect choice for a variety of production needs.
