What if the bend I request isn’t possible? 

Our Sophia® online software sends the correct settings for your bent parts to our machines and operators. Thanks to our automated production process, our bending machines can make thousands of parts every day.

But what if you have drawn a part that our machines can’t make? While we don’t have a perfect solution, we are happy to share a few options for you to consider.

Why can’t my bend be made?

There are various reasons why a bend can’t be made with our bending machines. These include:

1. One of the flanges is too long (which will lead to a collision between the flange and tool)
2. One of the flanges is too short (which means the punch will press the entire flange into the die)
3. One of the flanges must be positioned diagonally upwards or downwards against the stop (which means the accuracy of the previous bend will have too much influence on the dimensions)
4. One of the edges that is pressed against the stop is not wide enough (it must be at least 20 mm)
5. etc.

Please note: You can read what is possible in our guidelines for bending.

What can I do in cases like these?

Thanks to our manufacturability check, you will always see a warning in Sophia® if we can’t make a bend.

If this is the case, there are two things you can do:

• Order the entire product as fully flat.
• Order the product as partially flat (e.g. with one flat flange).

You can then try to bend the product yourself.

Ordering your product as (partially) flat and bending it yourself

We will first explain how to order your product as (partially) flat.

You can draw the entire product as a flat part yourself using our ‘Export part to DXF’ feature. In this case, Sophia® will create the flat pattern for your bent part. You can then upload, configure and order it again in Sophia®. 

When using this feature, please be aware that the flat pattern is calculated based on the values we use in practice. Our machine settings and tools may be different to yours, which may lead to deviations in the dimensions, so always test the settings yourself to ensure you get the right dimensions with your machines.

If you wish to order one or a few bends as flat, you must adjust your technical drawing yourself, for example by removing the bend radius.

You can then try to bend the product yourself:

• With your own machines, tools and/or settings.
• By hand with extra tools, such as a vice, hammer and/or bending jig.

If you don’t have the necessary machine and/or tools, you can prepare your part to be bent by hand by drawing several slots along the bend line. This can be done as follows:

We advise you not to do this with sheet metal thicker than 3 mm.

Draw slots in accordance with the following guidelines:

• Width of slots: at least 0.8 mm x sheet thickness
• Space between slots: at least 1.5 mm
• Number of slots: as required*

*The more slots, the easier it will be to bend the metal. However, this affects the strength of the part.

Please be aware that slots will often have to be closed by welding after bending, and that a bend with slots will never be as strong as a comparable bend without slots. This method does however make it relatively easy to bend metal.

Finally, it is important to be aware that we do not offer hand bending and that we cannot guarantee the effectiveness of the above solutions. While they are practical, they are not optimal. The accuracy and stiffness of the material in particular will be unpredictable.

Questions about hand bending?

If you have further questions on this topic, please feel free to contact us.