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Steve Benson
ASMA LLC
2952 Doaks Ferry Road N.W.
Salem, OR 97301-4468
503-399-7514
- From The Fabricator
Tool choice for air bending on the press brake: Keep it consistent
- By Steve Benson
- Mar 11, 2024
- Bending and Forming
- Blog Post
Press brake guru Steve Benson writes about wooden tooling, forming 6061 T-6 aluminum, and more.
- From The Fabricator
Bending large radii on the press brake
- By Steve Benson
- Feb 20, 2024
- Bending and Forming
- Blog Post
Press brake expert Steve Benson answers questions about bending large radii and the effects changing the material has on the bend angle, radius, and flat pattern development.
- From The Fabricator
Predicting the radius without test bending on the press brake
- By Steve Benson
- Jan 25, 2024
- Bending and Forming
- Blog Post
The 20% rule can estimate the air-formed radius that a press brake operator is likely to achieve, yet it remains imperfect. Data based on empirical evidence—test bends—can help most bending departments in a metal fabrication shop.
- From The Fabricator
The humanity behind precision sheet metal bending
- By Steve Benson
- Dec 23, 2023
- Bending and Forming
- Blog Post
Steve Benson strays from his usual prose to dive into the humanity behind precision sheet metal bending and why Murphy's Law applies.
- From The Fabricator
Dialing in the k-factor for bending sheet metal parts
- By Steve Benson
- Nov 20, 2023
- Bending and Forming
- Blog Post
Dialing in the k-factor matters, but it’s just a piece of a puzzle that incorporates myriad variables, including material consistency, forming methods, and the tooling a forming department uses.
- From The Fabricator
Transitioning from bottom bending to air forming on the press brake
- By Steve Benson
- Oct 11, 2023
- Bending and Forming
- Blog Post
Both bottoming and air forming have their place. But over the long term, air forming is probably the way to go.
- From The Fabricator
Strategies for bending aluminum 6061-T6
- By Steve Benson
- Sep 7, 2023
- Bending and Forming
- Blog Post
Aluminum 6061-T6 is notoriously difficult to bend, but skilled press brake operators can tackle the challenges with various strategies, including torch annealing.
- From The Fabricator
Calculating k-factors for the press brake
- By Steve Benson
- Aug 24, 2023
- Bending and Forming
- Article
The k-factor describes the neutral axis’s inward shift during bending. Press brake operators can calculate it precisely, especially after some test bends, but know that the k-factor is just one among many.
- From The Fabricator
Shop strategies for crack-free bending in V-grooved brass sheet metal
- By Steve Benson
- Jul 24, 2023
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Annealing can help reduce cracking, if done correctly. But if you’re bending brass or any material with a grain direction, try forming against the grain. Changing the bend’s orientation to the material grain can make a world of difference.
- From The Fabricator
Prevent edge cracking in sheet metal bending
- By Steve Benson
- Jun 17, 2023
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Why do metal fabricators get edge cracking near a bend on metal parts? Hardness variation from a cut’s heat-affected zone might be to blame.
- From The Fabricator
Boosting bottom-bending accuracy on the press brake with these tips
- By Steve Benson
- May 25, 2023
- Bending and Forming
- Article
When bottom bending on a press brake, the punch tip determines the radius and the die angle determines your bend angle. Sounds simple, yet the variables still abound for metal fabrication shops.
- From The Fabricator
Bump bending and air forming sheet metal on the press brake
- By Steve Benson
- Apr 20, 2023
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Press brake guru Steve Benson answers questions about air forming and bump bending, including the many variables involved in each application.
- From The Fabricator
Laminate tooling, depression grooving, and more about bending sheet metal
- By Steve Benson
- Mar 21, 2023
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Bending guru Steve Benson answers questions about laminate press brake tooling, 6061-T6 aluminum, and radius formation in air bending sheet metal.
- From The Fabricator
Yield, tensile, and bending small metal parts on the press brake
- By Steve Benson
- Feb 22, 2023
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Steve Benson answers questions about sheet metal forming terminology, including yield strength and ultimate tensile strength, and describes the creativity behind bending very small parts.
- From The Fabricator
Press brake controllers and the bend deduction of sheet metal
- By Steve Benson
- Jan 18, 2023
- Bending and Forming
- Article
A reader from the U.K. finds a discrepancy in how his press brake controller performs its bend calculations on certain sheet metal thickness.
- Podcasting
- Podcast:
- The Fabricator Podcast
- Published:
- 03/05/2024
- Running Time:
- 65:35
After Ludlow Manufacturing Inc. (LMI) received The Fabricator's 2024 Industry Award, Todd Ludlow, founder and president of the...
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