Used Sheet Metal Brake

Depending on specifications on the brake you are looking for, there are a wide variety of used sheet metal brakes available.

The come in either Box & Pan brake and you can find bench top units or the larger floor mounted units.

These brakes are designed to bend sheet metal by using a hinged clamping bar to hold the metal down against the bottom or machine bed. On a manual machine, the operator then pulls a bending "leaf" which applies even pressure and forces the metal around the fulcrum point. The angle of the bend is determined by how high the operator pulls the bending leaf.

If your needs are for applying multiple bends on a single piece of metal then a box and pan brake machine is needed. These are designed to keep the metal from hitting the clamping bar while completing the 3rd or 4th bend.

If considering a used sheet metal brake you should buy a machine that exceed the specific needs you have now. As things change, having a brake with more capabilities than you need is much better than having to sell the brake you have and buy another one.

There are a few manufacturers that have excellent reputations for building quality machines that are designed to last a lifetime. Spending a little extra money for a quality built machine with a name brand that you recognize is a smart thing to do.

Don't forget that there are options available on some machines and your jobs may require one or more of options like different sizes of insert bars, radius formers, open ended fingers and/or extension fingers.

Probably the most important consideration is that the brake be capable of bending the gauge of metal you are needing to work with. Some of the smaller machines will only handle light gauge sheet metal but as you go up in size, the gauge ( and usually the length too) goes up. Some machines will bend fairly heavy gauge steel. Most machines will bend any gauge of metal that is thinner than the maximum capacity of the machine. So a machine that can handle mild steel, can also handle most any thickness of sheet metal too.