Sheet Metal 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 k factor chart.

The k factor is fundamental to designing precise sheet metal products. The k factor is the most important and elusive variable of bending because it varies both as a function of the material and according to parameters such as angle and tooling. The k factor is defined as the ratio between the material thickness t and the neutral fibre axis t i e. The k factor is usually somewhere between 0 3 and 0 5.

Therefore using k factor there is no need to calculate sheet metal flat length manually. So if the thickness of the sheet was a distance of t 1 mm and the location of the neutral axis was a distance of t 0 5 mm measured from the inside bend then you would have a k factor of t t 0 5 1 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. This change in sheet length depends on the position of neutral axis or k factor.

You can use this k factor calculator to calculate k factor using reverse engineering method. For example if the value of k factor for given material thickness and bending machines is known. Calculate k factor bend allowance and y factor for sheet metal bending. 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.

Sheet metal flat length can be calculated using cad softwares. Best way to calculate k factor in sheet metal is by reverse engineering. K factor in sheet metal bending is a constant that is used to calculate sheet metal flat length. It allows you to anticipate the bend deduction for a large variety of angles without having to rely on a chart.

As a result overall sheet length increases. The k factor is defined mathematically as t mt where t is the neutral axis location and mt is the material thickness. 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. 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.

The part of the material that bends.