Best Grade Of Aluminum Sheet For Bending

The top 3 aluminum alloys for being are the 3003 which has medium strength and the best cold workability the 5052 which is the highest strength alloy of the more common non heat treatable grades and the 6061 which is one of the more versatile heat treatable alloys.

Best grade of aluminum sheet for bending.

In most cases this is probably the best alloy for bending. These alloys have excellent machinability limited cold formability. You get average strength very good. Here are my four favorites.

They have little structural value. Sheet aluminium can be cut without the need for a guillotine or tin snips which tend to deform the metal. Aluminum 6061 t6 and 6063 t6 are the most common grades and tempers of aluminum specified. They are very ductile in the annealed condition.

This grade has a great range of mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. Ray behner mike72 powerglider bobw liked this post. With the aid of a straight edge and a sharp knife score both sides of the aluminium sheet. I guess i might also add that though there are many grades of aluminum out there some more suitable for bending and cases than others none is more common and readily available than t6061.

The best aluminum alloys for bending come down to series 3xxx and series 5xxx and sometimes series 6xxx. This weakens the aluminium and creates a fracture line. You get high elongation not as high as 3003 however and a solid. It can be fabricated by most of the commonly used techniques and it has good workability in the annealed condition.

Ideally part designers should know that when it comes to aluminum grades 3003 and 5052 will bend 6061 will not. Series 1xxx are the aluminum alloys with 99 00 pure aluminum. From hands on experience 6061 t6 will crack and 2024 t3 will break like a piece of glass. Cheap and you can find it anywhere.

Beware of bad gouge bad intell. Aluminum offers good corrosion resistance and is easily welded. Which aluminum alloy bends best. The aluminum series ability to bend tends to decrease as you move down the list of tempers from annealed to t4 and t6.

The most versatile of the heat treatable aluminum alloys while keeping most of the good qualities of aluminum. Series 2xxx are the aluminum copper alloys. This alloy comes right behind. Its one of the most widely available aluminum alloys and is likely cheaper than 5052 as well.

This is generalizing of course as there are ways to form 6061. For example if weldability is most important to your project but strength is not it may make sense to choose alloy 1100 as this aluminum grade has excellent weldability but is not typically used for high strength or high pressure applications. But one thing that aluminum does not always offer is ease of workability in particular forming bending. It also comes in many different shapes including flats rounds and structurals.