Best way to bend 5 x 2 x 0.188 rectangular steel tubing

[PaulCTEC]

Bend will be made the "easy" way at a 14" radius to 45 degrees.

I'm wondering if a simple press die would suffice or if I have to fab a rotary draw machine.

I would appreiciate any advice to hopefully avoid wasting time going down the wrong path on my own.

The piece will be used as part of a trailer frame...side-rail that transitions diagonally to the center hitch mounting plate. Originally, this piece was made from two pieces cut at 22.5 and welded/fish plated.....I'm trying to avoid that step by bending a single piece. I picked 14" as a radius out of thin air as I thought it "looked" right, I could go more or less.

Thanks for your help

 

[berkshire]

If you can stand a little distortion in the profile, packing the center with greased strips of metal will let you do this in a press brake by bumping with a very large bottom die.
Failing that you would have to find somebody with a "Buffalo" 4 roll bending machine. A 3 roll profile/ angle iron, roller may do it, but you would have a possibility of kinking the part at the start of the bend.
B.E.

 

[MikeHalloran]

A simple press die is not going to do it in one hit.

Draw benders for rectangular tube use two strategies for dealing with web distortion. You can make a mandrel as usual, or you can just support the flanges and let the outer web pull in to a concave shape. I think some benders also push a punch into the inner web to buckle it in a controlled way. Examine some lawn chair frames to see how it's done.

I think the tooling you need is available commercially.
Yeah, they don't give it away.
Whether yours will actually be cheaper depends a good deal on how lucky you are.

If you are _that_ lucky, you mind find the bender you need, already tooled up, in the hands of some used machinery dealer. It would be worth making a few phone calls.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[berkshire]

"A simple press die is not going to do it in one hit."


That's why I suggested bumping.Moving the part through a press brake in small increments say 1/4" until you achieve the desired curve.
B.E.