[roystur44]

Dave,

Here is a tonnage chart I found. It is per linear foot so X4 for a 48 inch piece.

http://www.powerbrakedies.com/ton.html


The tonnage required depends on the radius you will be using to bend your metal and the angle you want to bend it to. There are different kinds of bending coining or air bending. Alum material really requires a 88 deg die to bend it 90 deg because the material will spring back. You could bend .090 AL using a 1/32" minimum bend radius.


Here's a video we made to show the kids how a press brake worked when we made a drive base.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1GkvsruJ8g