Press brakes

What types of press brakes are there?

Whilst the choice of press brake is dependent on a number of key factors, such as, material thickness, material length, and part profile there are several smart options available, each with their own benefits.

The most common forms are hydraulic and electric press brakes. You’ll see these terms clearly labelled throughout our ranges. This defines how the brake press upper beam is powered, but also impacts several other areas.

The other common thing you’ll want to look out for is the tonnage of your press brake. This indicates the amount of force they can provide in tons. To put this into perspective, a hydraulic brake press is usually able to achieve much higher amounts of force, while a servo electric press would provide lesser amounts.

One final thing to consider is the importance of speed and accuracy. Where these are extremely important, a servo electric press brake will be your choice, with a higher degree of accuracy and faster operation than a hydraulic press brake.

Once you start to consider all of the above, you should be well on your way to finding the right press brake for your application. If you’re still not sure you can contact us online or speak to our experts on 01827 250000.

Which press brake?

When flexibility and precision is key, our range of brake presses has you covered.

Our range of hydraulic machines offer high tonnage and are capable of bending long lengths and can even be configured in tandem solutions, with a range of options, the press brakes we supply are renowned for their sturdiness, reliability and most importantly, their safety.

Laser guarding is a standard feature, across the full range of machines. There is a choice of backgauge configurations, together with a variety of CNC controls, meaning these brake presses work in your business environment without compromise.

Ensuring high accuracy, the patented Hexa-C frame, of the PA Press Brake, guarantees perfect guiding with a precision movable upper beam.

Effective hydraulics with overload protection, great energy savings with “Greendrive” system, two sturdy y axes, back gauge featuring high quality motors and drives with ball guides and screws ensures a wide range of bending solutions is possible with this press brake.

The electric, servo driven press brakes, offer the user the added benefits of lower power consumption, high speed, and accuracy, combined with reduced maintenance costs.

What is a CNC Press Brake?

A CNC Press Brake is a machine for bending metal sheets and plates. It is used in a variety of industries, such as construction, automotive, shipbuilding, and aerospace.

The CNC Press Brake is not only safe to use but also provides high-quality results. It can be used to cut and bend metal sheets of varying thicknesses. Most commonly, a CNC press brake has two hydraulic cylinders that move in opposite directions to bend the metal sheet.

Alternatively, the CNC press brake machine may use a punch to push the material against a die (a piece of metal with an opening cut in it), which forms the material into the desired shape. The machine can be used in production lines to automate sheet-metal fabrication.

The CNC Press Brake is an extremely versatile machine. In reality, it can be used for any component that needs bending, cutting or forming.

How does a CNC Press Brake help my business?

While there are many advantages to choosing a CNC Press Brake, one of the biggest is the flexible programming the CNC component offers the user.

A CNC Press Brake Machine offers the user modular programming relevant to the task they are completing. This minimises the set-up time of the CNC Press Brake whilst helping to increase precision. As a result, efficiencies go up and wastage in terms of time and resources goes down.

Your CNC Brake Press can help with degrees of bending, metal stress tolerances and other metrics that require a high level of accuracy to be completed safely and to a high standard. These can often take time to work out manually.

CNC takes a lot of the heavy lifting out of bending sheet metal and is a great investment.

How much can a CNC Press Brake save my business?

You could:

• Save costs by about 45%
• Save inventory handling by about 35%
• Save testing by about 35%
• Save process operation by about 25%
• Save part cycle time by about 50%

These are average figures. In reality, depending on your use case, industry and operator, you could potentially save even more.

An Adira BB1250 CNC Press Brake in action. 

Why do people choose CNC Press Brakes?

We’ve mentioned some of the advantages the CNC part of the CNC press brake machine can bring above. Did you know a CNC Press Brake is also:

1. Extremely versatile
2. Cost-effective & Efficient (both in terms of energy and output)
3. Easy to operate
4. Robust

Here is some more information on the ways a CNC brake press can be advantageous in your business.

1. The Versatility of a CNC Brake Press

No matter how your CNC Brake Press is constructed, it’s going to offer you extreme versatility. The number of shapes you can bend are practically endless, meaning it is suitable for a wide variety of applications. When you factor in the different types of sheet metal a good CNC Press Brake can work with, you have a truly versatile machine.

Perhaps the most important part is when it comes to working alongside other sheet metal fabrication equipment. Teaming your CNC brake press with other equipment offers an easy avenue for growth and scalability. Take the recent install pictured below, where the customer has seamlessly integrated a Press Brake machine alongside their existing Yawei servo-electric punching machine.

The punching machine already has an automatic load/unload system which allows them to increase output through a more efficient work process. Investing in Yawei has meant scaling up their business whilst making a quick return on their investment.

For this reason, you should consider the brand you want in your business for all equipment when looking at CNC press brakes for sale.

2. Cost-Effective Operations

A CNC Press Brake offers cost-effectiveness and efficiencies from all angles (excuse the slight bending pun). Whether it is reduced wastage, faster set up times, more efficient use of materials, multitasking, increasing output, automating tasks, reducing the workload, eliminating human error, CNC Press brake machines bring so many benefits.

Your team will have the opportunity to work more efficiently, increasing their output by working smarter, not harder. CNC programs allow them to work on multiple parts of the process. These same programs will also save energy (of the team members and off your utility bill). They are designed to be fast and accurate, reducing running times.

These are modern machines designed to work for your business.

3. CNC Press Brakes are a dream to operate

All of the above may sound complicated at first but our experience from hundreds of successful installs is that Press Brake Operators, no matter their background, have loved upgrading to a CNC machine. It gives them the chance to upskill in a way that quickly pays dividends for your business.

Much of this is simply down to just how user-friendly these machines are to operate. Programming is fast so even the most inexperienced operator can quickly pick up how to use a CNC press brake machine.

4. They are built to last and that matters

We know from experience that these machines take a battering. No matter how well you look after your CNC Press Brake, chances are it’s going to take a pump, knock or be operated incorrectly. These are also machines built to apply huge amounts of force to the metal without the aid of heat. They need to be solid! All of this results in a better finish, often in a shorter time with less energy.

For this reason, be sure to only invest in trusted CNC Press Brake manufacturers.

Ready to invest in a CNC Press Brake? Where to start?

It is clear that a CNC brake press machine can offer many business benefits, making everyone’s life easier and opening up a world of possibilities around sheet metal fabrication. The next step is understanding which CNC Press Bake is the right fit for your business.

Luckily there is a formula to investing in the right press brake machine for your business. Once you’ve checked that out, we’d recommend taking a look at our range of new press brake machines. You may also wish to check out our used sheet metal machines. These can be a great way to save some money on a good-as-new piece of sheet metal fabrication equipment.

Finally, speak to our team. They are experts in all things sheet metal including CNC Press Brake Machines. They’ll be happy to advise you, supply brochures and can even arrange a showroom visit if you’d like to get more hands-on.

Looking to become a CNC Press Brake Operator?

With CNC Press Brakes being used across a wide variety of industries, it also makes sense for many to pursue a career as an operator. Seen commonly across the transport and automotive sectors, CNC Press Brakes also have applications in fast-growing industries like aerospace and energy.

If you’re looking to work as a CNC Press Brake Operator we’d recommend checking out jobs directly on Google and let us know if you’re using one of our machines! We’re always on hand to help.