Sheet Metal K Factor Chart

The k factor is defined as the ratio between the material thickness t and the neutral fibre axis t i e.

Sheet metal k factor chart.

The part of the material that bends. To help you begin i ve included a k factor chart below which contains common k factor starting points good for general fabrication for steel aluminum and stainless steel. For example if the value of k factor for given material thickness and bending machines is known. The k factor is fundamental to designing precise sheet metal products.

A k factor will typically range between 0 and 5 for standard materials and thicknesses though smaller and larger k factors are possible. Calculate k factor bend allowance and y factor for sheet metal bending. It allows you to anticipate the bend deduction for a large variety of angles without having to rely on a chart. Cad tools use k factor to calculate sheet metal blank.

The k factor is defined mathematically as t mt where t is the neutral axis location and mt is the material thickness. K factor a constant determined by dividing the thickness of the sheet by the location of the neutral axis which is the part of sheet metal that does not change length. While modern bend deduction charts now are reasonably accurate historically bend calculation charts both for bend allowances and bend deductions were notorious for their inaccuracies. The k factor is usually somewhere between 0 3 and 0 5.

To help you begin i ve included a k factor chart below which contains common k factor starting points good for general fabrication for steel aluminum and stainless steel. Because of the specific properties of any given metal there is no easy way to calculate that value perfectly hence the chart in figure 2. You can use this k factor calculator to calculate k factor using reverse engineering method. K factor in sheet metal bending is a constant that is used to calculate sheet metal flat length.

K factor chart a k factor will typically range between 0 and 5 for standard materials and thicknesses though smaller and larger k factors are possible. Sheet metal flat length can be calculated using cad softwares. Best way to calculate k factor in sheet metal is by reverse engineering. As a result overall sheet length increases.

This change in sheet length depends on the position of neutral axis or k factor.