Design and fabrication of a manual sheet metal bending machine.

Abstract

Sheet metal bending is one of the sheet metal forming processes that is used in the industries, workshops and local artisan shops for fabrication of different parts that satisfy people's needs. Achieving curved and cylindrical patterns from metal foils, sheets and plates is a hectic process to most small scale fabricators who lack heavy industrial based rolling machines. This research project report covers the development of a small scale manually operated proper working tool for sheet metal bending. The developed sheet metal bending tool is tailored for the magnitude of work in institutional workshops and local artisan shops that are often faced with the challenge of bending sheet metal and yet their volume of work is small and covers small sheet thicknesses. Chapter one of this report presents the challenges: faced by small scale fabricators who the immediate suppliers of simple fabricated product for use in the local communities. The problem statement, justification of the study, objectives of the study; its purpose and scope of the study are also elaborated. Chapter two presents the reviewed literature on sheet metal bending operations with more emphasis on roil bending and some of the types of existing roll bending machines in the market and their working principals are explored. In addition, the design equations which have to be put into consideration for the design of the different parts of the bending machine are also explored in the same chapter. Chapter three covers the design process that was undertaken to design the different parts of the sheet metal bending machine, fabrication of the prototype and subsequently testing of the fabricated prototype. The designed sheet metal bending machine was found to be capable of bending sheet metal of up to 2mm thickness without fail and using less force. The maximum bending angle realized was 3600 (measured from the centre of the formed cylinder) and after spring back, the angle was determined to be 2970. This can be easily pressed together daring welding. The sheet metal bending machine was found -to be capable of performing work at the institutional workshops and local artisan shops.