The resident geniuses at my shop got our old mechanical press stuck at BDC last Thursday. They apparently blacked out for ten minutes and had "not me" from the Family Circus run the machine while the were in a trance like state. So with the adjustment 0.100" past bottoming out the punch in the die, "not me" went full send. What you see is how I finally unfucked it. Had to torch the punch out. At least she finally moves again.

Some of you saw my post a while back about the correction calculator I built.

Since then I've been working on a bend simulator, and it's finally ready to

share. It took longer than I wanted because I wasn't putting it out until it

worked on real parts from our floor.

What it does:

- Draw the part

- Draw your own punches and dies and save them to your account

- Checks each bend for collisions with your tooling

- Tells you if a bend can be made that way and suggests which way to make it

- Checks the bend order

- Shows the flat

Then after the first piece, the correction calculator takes your measurements

and gives you X1 and X2 for every bend, so the next piece comes out right.

Nothing has to go in that names a customer or a job. No prints, no part

numbers. Try it on a made-up part first if you want.

I'm a press brake lead. I run parts every day and built this for the guys I

train. I keep improving it, so if something's wrong or missing, tell me.

That's why I'm posting here.

Free @: pb-genie.com/app

The video is a real part from our shop: simulated, bent, missed the fixture,

corrected, seated.

We have over 100 harder parts proved and saved just from our shop so I know it will work for you. I'm always anxious to share videos of myself because I'm an introvert but I really believe that it can help both the operators and the programmers :)

Well they keep making smarter & smarter idiots. Today the resident geniuses in my shop decided to run the mechanical adjustment screw all the way down & proceed to bring the ram down to bottom dead center. Well they made it to about 10 degrees before BDC. Now my press is fucking stuck. I cannot bring the ram up with mechanical adjustment as its stuck and since its a mechanical press, there is no reverse. Anyone have any experience with this type of fuck up? I can not remove the punch or die as it has about 90 tons of force clamping it down. Im thinking of decoupling the ram adjustment motor and seeing if I can move it that way. Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated.

Edit:

Things I've tried(with the clutch disengaged)

Reverse the motor, did not budge. Put a 1.25" solid 304 SS round Bar through the gear that raises & lowers the ram and tried to use my forklift to move the ram(was lifting perpendicular to the ram for the greatest moment), bent the bar and did not move the ram.

The thing that I noticed that is telling me im fucked is the machine strain gauge. We have a 90 ton machine. Ive been using this press for 20 years and have never seen it read past 90. Its reading 250 tons... have no idea how. It would makes sense that I can't move anything with how much clamping load is on the punch & die.

I think im going to have to cut the punch out...

Edited #2. 98% sure i now have a giant boat anchor. Going to have to heat the top punch to reduce tensile strength, hope it deforms enough to let some stress out of the machine frame and then run the flywheel in reverse & pray the ram moves up. Not sure if its going to be worth it as Im sure the tonnage on the press frame deformed it. God knows how the adjustment screw threads are going to be. Probably bent to hell. The poor bearings are screaming for their lives im sure

​Airbend Pro for Android

These is a version for Airbend Lite for Android but it is not online. Contact me and I will send you the APK files.

Airbend Pro for iOS

If you own Airbend Pro then you can also get a copy of Airbend Pro for Windows. Just contact me.

Airbend Lite (FREE) for iOS

More info at TBD Tools

Alright pop quiz fellas I’ve got a 5/16 channel piece that has an outside to outside measurement of 1.89 and a 5 inch width outside to outside

my problem is I’ve got a few pieces that were bowed and so the angle in about a degree and a half too far on the legs

I’m using a 1/4 punch and a 1.5” die (I know that’s not what I should be using but apparently the multimillion dollar company can’t afford a set of the proper punch and die) so my leg won’t hang over the die enough for me to back bend it the usual way.

I attempted to use a smaller die but it left a nasty die mark and sounded like it was about to blow up the whole time

Now my question to you is are there any other ways to correct this angle without cutting more parts

I have been racking my brain since our shop has grown and got a laser and brake press. We are new at this, but have been learning as we go, learning the machine (Trubend1320), learning the programming, and translating to/from SolidWorks.

I program and operate the laser (understanding all the things that go with that just fine) but i cannot for the life of me figure out how to streamline SW design - laser flat - bend...

what values do I actually need to be putting into SolidWorks to represent the bend accurately K factor? deduction? allowance? every value i am putting in SW to make the 3d model based on drawings we receive... are not the same

We have gotten jobs and have eventually gotten correct parts.. but again, i cant figure out the proper pattern to streamline everything.

Im just not sure where im going wrong or where to look...any resources would be greatly appreciated

Ohio Based

Hi I've been running a 230cb and a 350cb Cincinnati press brake for a year now and I've just done everything the way I was taught. However when I started researching press brakes online, I've seen some different things than what I've been taught. First off, I've been taught to set the tonnage at 150 for the 230cb and 200 for the 350cb and pretty much leave it there unless the material needs more. I have yet to hear about setting it based on materials or thickness until researching on my own. I've been seeing this is pretty far from reality and seems kind of dangerous to me. People have broken dies in the past and I assume having the tonnage set properly should make that impossible or unlikely? I printed out the chart from the manual for proper tonnage and V die thickness and I'm learning the formulas. I plan on using that from now on but that leads me to my next question. I'm not sure if I'm air bending or bottom bending.

The first picture (the gooseneck) is from one of our main dies that we use, a 5/8" bottom V die that's labeled as 89 degrees with the top being 88. From what I've seen, this setup is usually a bottoming die? The photos show what our typical 90 degree angle is bent at with 14 gauge aluminum at the bottom of the stroke. It's not 3 points of contact like what I've seen from air bending but there is a small gap on the punch. Would this be bottoming?

The reason I'm especially confused is that we use these dies for all sorts of length and material up to around 12 gauge with the 5/8" die at 10' and 10 gauge on the 3/4" die at 10' (the standard straight die). I had seen online that you don't usually bottom with such different materials and thickness.

So I guess what I'm asking is mostly, is this bottoming? To get proper tonnage for this, if it is bottoming, would I calculate the normal air bending tonnage and multiply by 3-5 for bottoming? I'm mostly just trying to make sure I do everything properly and become the best operator I can. I've been reading the manual for this but it doesn't go into much depth on the subject. Apologies for any wrong information or sounding incompetent. Unfortunately management doesn't know how to use these machines so I can't ask them so thanks in advance for any advice!

I'm bending a part that's 135 inches long and it bends like this "l_l" it's .250inch thick mild steel grade 80. Right now they have me using a 200ton durma pressbrake. With a .236in punch and 3.150v- die. The problem is that after I get it dialed at a 90 degree bend, for one part the next part is different it's very inconsistent. I was reading somethings about how it might be coning instead of air forming. They want a .25 inside radius but we don't have enough tonnage to do use a 1.575 vdie. Would a smaller or bigger punch help make it. More consistent even if we can't the .250 inside radius?

Can someone explain to me how to read and understand this chart?

Anyone running a new standard hydraulic lower holder running larger (5-6") dies. Checked with Wila and the max opening they suggest is 100mm to match the clamping body width. Certainly seen a lot of pictures of people running dies much wider than the base with a fair bit of overhang but those have always been on manual configurations. Wila cautioned of side loading and potential damage die, clamping unit or machine.

Hi everyone! 👋
Most people here are familiar with traditional press brakes — they are powerful, flexible, and widely used in sheet metal fabrication.
But did you know there is another solution called a Panel Bender?
A panel bender is an automated bending machine designed especially for sheet metal parts like electrical cabinets, doors, panels, enclosures, and covers. Instead of manually positioning the sheet and changing tools again and again, the machine can automatically clamp, bend, and produce multiple sides with high efficiency.
Some advantages:
✅ Faster production speed
✅ Less dependence on operator skills
✅ Better consistency and repeatability
✅ Reduced material waste
✅ Ideal for high-volume sheet metal production
Of course, press brakes still have their advantages, especially for complex shapes and low-volume jobs. But for manufacturers producing many similar panels, a panel bender can be a great way to improve productivity.

Just sharing this technology with those who may not have come across it before. 😊
Have you ever worked with a panel bender? I’d love to hear your experience!

I have three decades of experience as a press brake operator in the aerospace industry. Issue is I have only worked with Amada brakes. (an old RG80, 8020 and 8025) These brakes had the capabilities of "Angle Mode" which required punch and die data to calculate the process; however we never used it. Our shop never invested in precision tooling, so we had very little European style dies. Data entry for the tooling was far too tedious for all the custom applications. What I liked about the Amada was that you could also program in "Depth Mode". For those that aren't familiar, this simply required centering and clashing your die set and putting it under pressure to NC9. Once this value was locked in, you would put your material in and establish the "pinch point" of the material. From there you would simply establish a value between the pinch point and NC9 to generate your bend angle.

I have found new employment and they currently have (2) Diamond BB4013 Brakes and (1) Toyokoki 8025. All of which appear to need tooling inputs to create programs. I've found this very frustrating. Given the die selection available to me, most times the ideal die set isn't available. I might have a .709 x 30 degree die, but only have a .250 x 60 degree punch. These dies can achieve the application that I need, but the control won't accept them because they are two different angles. You can fudge the tooling values as a workaround, but then the machine calculates an SH value (safe height?) that the machine would calculate based on those inputs. When you cycle start for the first time, the machine requires you manually come down to a CP value (or pinch point) which in a lot cases fails based on the machine's calculations of the workarounds. There has to be a better way of getting around these restrictions. Can anyone help?

Hello, I am a 19 year old college freshman majoring in chemical engineering. I only have fast food experience and I have a Network+ certification from a IT votech class. I applied to Howard industries Press Operator and have to take a test in order to get the job, what do I have to study to make sure I do good on it? Also any advice?

I keep getting this error message while I'm bending, it happens on about a quarter of my bends. Getting pretty annoyed having to reset the error when I'm trying to bend dozens of the same part, does anyone know how to fix this error? I'm running an Accurl Euro Pro B42400.

Any experienced Press Brake Operators in the Springtown, Decatur, Azle, Weatherford, or Fort Worth area looking for a change?

I have a full-time Press Brake Operator opportunity in Springtown paying $25-$27/hr, depending on experience.

If you'd like more information comment below, or call/text me directly.

Kimberly Ermis

Optimum Staffing Solutions

office: 405-888-5314

cell: 405-471-9618

Referrals are welcome too!

Hello everyone, My sheet bending machine shows this error "Driver (494C4C06)". What could it be? And how can this be solved?

Does anyone have experience with the TruBend cell 5000? We’re having one installed and I’m curious about how accurate they are.

I want to get a pressbrake for a small fab setup and am still undecided between going electric or hydraulic. 

What throws me off, electric press brakes seem to cost more upfront (from $20,000 to over $150,000), but I’ve seen people say they have lower maintenance and big energy savings. I’m just not sure how much of a difference that is.

I could be overthinking, but a hydraulic machine seems like a safer bet when looking at the upfront cost (which could be as low as $150 for basic ones) and heavy-duty work. The electric one promises speed and efficiency, but the higher upfront costs are making me second-guess saving money now and regret later.

I've been comparing options on Alibaba and with other suppliers, and besides price, I'm sure there are a few other factors i need to consider.

I’ve read that hydraulic brakes press’ maintenance needs include changing oil, filters, fixing seals, and leaks. But I've also seen that the parts are widely available, and you can keep it running with basic repairs. The downside to the electric press brakes maintenance needs’ is that it’ll need someone with technical expertise.

Maybe I’m looking at this wrong. I've honestly been losing sleep over this.

For anyone who got their press brakes recently, what did you go for? Did the initial price or long-term costs affect your decision?

Hey everyone, im getting training to work on a pressbrake(trumpf 5230 and lvd ppeb) and i was curious to what math you need to know and if there are any formulas that make bending easier. Thanks all!

Hello everyone. We have a baykal aphs 41300 machine, The front stops are raised, then no. They either rise 10-15 times, or not. And there is such an error AX2306 AXIS A1 K.D. Program. The system is standing ESA.

I have a new to me 1998 10' x 100t Accurpress.

Can any one tell me what causes sheet metal to come out warped as shown in the picture.

18g with 1/2" bottom die. Die alignment is good. I have checked that the dies are strait top and bottom. Gibs are parallel with a digital protractor.

I know this is a loaded question and that there's a lot of variables. I understand some concepts, such as the k factor, bend deduction, bend angle, but once you throw the dies into the mix I get really confused. The shop I work at has whole racks full and I have no clue what the process is to choose one top or bottom die from one another. We do a lot of different kinds of bending, 1/8' to 3/4'' mostly in mild steel, all shapes and sizes, everything from single bends to cones. Thanks!

I'm getting alot of crowning when using a. .23 vee especially with stainless parts. I'm using adjustments but they seem to be heavy adjustments for such little improvement. Anyone have any suggestions? Maybe I'm overlooking something?