Pan Brake Vs Press Brake -bending Up A Box

[little_sparky]

Hello All,

i wasnt really sure where to post this so i went for here as this is the most knowledgabel forum i know of.

So I have a few things I need to make from sheet metal and most of them are boxes. (An atv dump trailer and a few drawers) and I was wondering what is the best machine to bend these up? Material thickness will be from 1.2 to 2.8mm (3/64 to 7/64)

As for budget, this will be a DIY project so not really crucial, so do I make a pan brake or a press brake?

(Here is an image of the trailer i plan on building. It will have a hydraulic ram or linear actuator to tilt the bed. The sides of it are just for design purposes while the front is a small slot that will hold accessories such as a shovel holder, jerry can holder or tool box. Clamps will slide into the gap and twist to tighten.)

 

[Martin W]

I have an old Brown Boggs 5' brake which can bend up to 16 gauge (.0598"). I guess if it were me I would build a press brake as you could fold heavier gauge pieces. I have a local shop that will fold op to .250" so I use them when I need to.
2.8 mm will be tough to bend if it has any length unless you have a press
Cheers
Martin

 

[12bolts]

They both have their limitations and applications. A pan brake can fold very tight and short lips/edges and work into corners. A press brake is limited by the span of the die. For what your sketches show I think a pan brake would be more suited. But for the gauge you are bending it would need to be pretty substantial. A press brake would handle it better but would (probably) require individual dies

Cheers Phil