Sheet metal bending plays an important role in the metal manufacturing world. . It is a metal forming process wherein a sheet metal blank is bent using tools comprising one or more pairs of punches and dies. Fascinating and elegant shapes may be folded from a single plane sheet of material without stretching, tearing or cutting, if shape rolling of sheet metal is the bending continually of the piece along a linear axis.

In small batch manufacturing, one of the biggest problems is frequent setup change that reduces the overall throughput of the manufacturing facility. To enable cost-effective small-batch manufacturing, we need new techniques to reduce the number of setup changes. In sheet metal bending, the time taken for the actual process of bending is significantly less compared to the time taken for setup and tool changes.

The sheet metal bending machine, the construction of which is described is cheap to build and versatile in use. It can be made from readily-available channel angle and hollow steel sections using basic welding and fabrication techniques. The only equipment essential to its construction is a drilling machine, an electric welder, G clamps and basic hand tools. An angle grinder, mechanical hacksaw and a flame cutter would make it easier, though these tools are not essential. Construction can be modified to suit locally-available materials. The machine can be bolted on to a strong bench or mounted on a stand.

Once constructed, this machine will he found very useful in any small metal workshop to make objects in sheet metal such as boxes, trays, baking-pans, channels, air-ducts, chimney flues. funnels, cabinets; or agricultural equipment such as seed-hoppers, troughs, water and fuel tanks.

This bending machine should prove an invaluable tool in any small workshop in the industrialized countries, as well as in the Third World.