Bend Relief and K-Factor in Sheet Metal
When sheet bends, the outside stretches and the inside compresses. Two concepts decide whether your blank unfolds to the right size.
When sheet metal bends, the outside stretches and the inside compresses. Two concepts decide whether your flat blank unfolds to the right size.
The two that matter
- Bend relief — small slots at bend lines so the material does not tear
- K-factor — where the neutral axis sits; it sets the flat-blank length for a given bend
Ignore these and your bracket bends to the wrong length — every time. CAD tools calculate them, but you have to tell them the right material and tooling.
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More in Sheet Metal
Sheet Metal Laser Cutting Basics
A fiber laser cuts flat sheet with no tooling and fast setup — the default for brackets, enclosures, and flat parts.
Designing Sheet Metal Brackets for Laser Cutting
A bracket is a flat shape that becomes 3D with a bend. Designing it well means designing the flat blank well.