Are you looking for press brakes for sale? Workshop Press are leading Press suppliers in the UK. We offer a wide variety of metalworking machinery. One of which are Press Brakes. They are one of the most common machines in a workshop, factory, or metal fabrication facility. Press Brakes come in a variety of shapes, forms, frameworks and orientations, such as vertical and horizontal. They have a variety of different names. For example, leaf brakes, box pan folders, box and pan brakes, sheet folders, sheet metal brake, & metal folding machines. Here we will discuss the basics and benefits of horizontal press brakes.
The Basics Of Press Brakes
Basic press brakes have been around quite a long time. But, at the beginning these were manual machines. They had a bending apron that was attached to a counter-balance mechanism, assisting the bending of folding of the steel material. Other materials besides steel can also be bent on a press brake.
Today manual press brakes are still quite common. But, in production environments they typical are powered either with a flywheel or hydraulics. Additionally, they can have a wide variety of electronic controls on them to assist with controlling bending depth and the bend position of the material. When required and necessary NC and CNC press brakes also come with a wide variety of safety features and mechanisms. They can also be integrated into production lines with robots.
Horizontal Press Brakes
One of the most versatile types of press brakes is the horizontal press brake. This press has a bending mechanism where it moves in a horizontal fashion from left to right, while the tools are turned 90 degrees. Horizontal press brakes also come in NC and CNC versions and can have automated positioning systems integrated with them. Furthermore, they come in a wide variety of tonnages. Some of the most common being between 20 and 30 tons but larger presses such as 100 ton press brakes are also available.
Horizontal press brakes have a flat heavy-duty steel table with a hydraulic ram fixated to the surface. The table will have a variety of precision bored holes in it typically configured in a “T” pattern, allowing for large pins to be dropped in. Then a wide variety of bending, shaping, cutting, and forming tools can be attached to this pins.
Straightening & Bending Large Profiles
Press Brakes that are horizontal enable operators to simply Straighten and bend large profiles that must conform to certain geometries. In addition, they can assist in the prototyping process, which can prove complicated with other standard presses. Curves and bends are a cinch as well as straightening faulty profiles.
Shearing attachments are available for flat bar, round bar, and sheets. Other attachments enable the horizontal press machines to expedite punching, boring and drilling processes. Also make perforating material for fences, doors, windows, and other parts an easy and efficient process.
With these hydraulic horizontal benders, an operator achieves maximum efficiency. They are in use for manufacturing clamps, eye bolts, flange, pipe holders, and other fasteners for pipes. With special tooling, tube flaring and expanding is also made possible and easy. Also can help make assembly and subsequent welding procedures efficient. For instance, on exhaust pipes, water pump lines, stacking metal furniture, railings, roll cages, and many other products.
Benefits Of Horizontal Press Brakes
Accompanying Tools
Horizontal press brakes come with a standard variety of bending tools. They are often called bending fingers, former dies, V-Dies, V-Blocks along many other names.
HPBs typically come with a set of standard tools including 3 posts. This includes 1 post having a slot that accepts a variety of tools that can be securely fastened to the post. Other standard tools are typically a V-Tool and then also a V-Block. The V-Block can also be a multi-vee with varying angles, widths, and depths being incorporated into the 4 sides of the block. Therefore, accommodating a variety of materials and material thicknesses.
There are a wide variety of optional tools available as well as bespoke tooling to suit your special application. Tool changes are extremely easy typically taking often less than 30 seconds. The uses of Horizontal Bending Presses are infinite and in addition to a large number of available tools, you will be able to bend and process a wide variety of different materials and different profiles.
Versatility & Long Lasting
Horizontal Press Brakes are known for their overall versatility. Additionally, they enable a workshop to bend, fold, cut and shape metal by stretching, reducing, inlaying, notching and assembling. Horizontal Bending Press Brakes are manufactured in a variety of countries around the world. However, when Horizontal Press Brakes are for sale in the UK or EU, without question they must conform to the most current CE norms. To ensure a press brake that lasts years it should have a welded steel framework from top quality steel. Therefore, this type of framework will provide years of robustness whilst providing the owner versatility and ease of handling.
Tube Bending
Bending flat bars is made easy on horizontal press and you can bend components that are completely closed that are not possible to achieve on traditional press brakes. Tube bending on a horizontal press brake is also possible and the press operator can achieve a wide variety of different bend angles.
Flexibility
Flexibility is the key feature of a horizontal press brake. Whether it has a standard control or NC Controller they allow for easy production of many applications. For instance, tables, chairs, pool ladders, roll cages, cowcatchers, bollards, fitness machines, street furniture, boxes, pans, playground equipment, and many other products.
Common Applications
- Pipe end reducing can also be accomplished allowing for a neat joint between different pipes that make berths, chairs, piping systems, garden gazebos, tents, and greenhouses.
- Solid Rod Bending and folding gives a metal manufacturer the ability to produce a vast variety of hooks, chains, links, and balusters from a square, rectangle, and round bars.
- Cold forging is another possibility and can also be accomplished on tubes when manufacturing railings, fences, gates, doors, railings, and hinges.
Workshop Press | Press Brakes For Sale
Are you looking to purchase a press brake? Here at Workshop Press, we have a great range of horizontal press brakes for sale with a range of tonnages. For more information please visit our range on our website. Alternatively, get in touch today to discuss how we can help you. Call us on +44 (0)800 999 1090 to speak to our helpful and friendly team.
Furthermore, if you found this blog useful, please read an older blog: What Is Tube Bending? Everything You Need To Know