Sheet Metal K Factor Chart

Calculate k factor bend allowance and y factor for sheet metal bending.

Sheet metal k factor chart.

The k factor is usually somewhere between 0 3 and 0 5. For example if the value of k factor for given material thickness and bending machines is known. This change in sheet length depends on the position of neutral axis or k factor. So if the thickness of the sheet was a distance of t 1 mm and the location of the neutral axis was a distance of t 0 5 mm measured from the inside bend then you would have a k factor of t t 0 5 1 0 5.

As a result overall sheet length increases. K factor in sheet metal bending is a constant that is used to calculate sheet metal flat length. The k factor is defined as the ratio between the material thickness t and the neutral fibre axis t i e. The k factor is the most important and elusive variable of bending because it varies both as a function of the material and according to parameters such as angle and tooling.

The k factor is fundamental to designing precise sheet metal products. K factor a constant determined by dividing the thickness of the sheet by the location of the neutral axis which is the part of sheet metal that does not change length. It allows you to anticipate the bend deduction for a large variety of angles without having to rely on a chart. K factor chart a k factor will typically range between 0 and 5 for standard materials and thicknesses though smaller and larger k factors are possible.

Because of the specific properties of any given metal there is no easy way to calculate that value perfectly hence the chart in figure 2. While modern bend deduction charts now are reasonably accurate historically bend calculation charts both for bend allowances and bend deductions were notorious for their inaccuracies. The part of the material that bends. To help you begin i ve included a k factor chart below which contains common k factor starting points good for general fabrication for steel aluminum and stainless steel.

To help you begin i ve included a k factor chart below which contains common k factor starting points good for general fabrication for steel aluminum and stainless steel. The k factor is defined mathematically as t mt where t is the neutral axis location and mt is the material thickness. Best way to calculate k factor in sheet metal is by reverse engineering. Cad tools use k factor to calculate sheet metal blank.

Therefore using k factor there is no need to calculate sheet metal flat length manually.