Trick for Bending Stainless and Other Tough Materials
Stainless steel tubing is still growing in popularity in automotive applications, both in performance exhaust and in street applications. It has many other fabrication uses as well, based on its desirable cosmetic traits.
Why is bending steel a challenge?
304 Stainless can be very difficult to bend or form, especially larger diameters, because it is harder, less malleable, and tends to have thinner walls in relation to tubing diameter than other tubing materials. Other materials in which wall thicknesses are thin relative to tube diameter may be similarly difficult to bend and form.
Do I need to use stainless steel?
Most new cars come equipped with stainless steel exhausts, so if you’re replacing damaged pipes, you’ll need to use the same material. Not to mention performance exhaust systems, where thinner material can lead to precious weight reduction. Stainless steel has been making its way into other areas like side members as well. Plus, if a Delorian ever runs into the shop, you don’t have much choice.
How to bend stainless steel
So, if these materials are best for your applications, there are two options most of you will be familiar with.
Invest in a mandrel bender
Order pre-bent parts in low volume (and increase inventory costs)
If you have experienced the failure of a crushed and worthless part, you may be tempted.
But there is a more economical way to bend. A "Controlled wrinkle" die has gem-shaped recesses that tell the material how to flow to avoid crushing … the material will form into the recesses, forming a distinctive gem pattern and a really nice bend. You may have seen this pattern on some OEM bends. It works amazingly well, and it doesn’t crush your part!
This cool looking and well-formed bend can work very well for many applications. Just to name a few … trucks, street rods, fence gates and other structures. So keep this in mind … simply making your own controlled wrinkle die bends on an inexpensive compression bender is a very economical way to form tough, thin walled tubing.
Call us at 800-558-7808 to learn more on this and other money-making bending tricks.
Visit our Facebook Page and enter our Facebook contest with a chance to win a free Huth Mitey Mate hand-held expander. To enter, just send us a picture of your project that has to do with bending square, expanding 3.5 inch plus, or bending stainless!
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