Bending aluminum plate

Kevin B.

Big hippy
Moderator
Location
Vehicular limbo
I dunno if this is thin plate or thick sheet, actually, it's about 2.5mm. I dunno what specific alloy it is, it's just some stuff I had laying around, but I want to put a 90 degree bend in about 26 inches of it, and I don't want it to crack.

I'm going to bend it around a piece of hitch steel to put a little radius in it, what else can I do? Should I try to heat it at all? Would perforating/scoring along the bend line make it worse or better? What's the best practice here?
 

dutchman

KI7KSV
Location
Boise, Id
I'd probably try a little bit of heat where you want the bend to be, but I don't really know what I'm talking about.

Is your hitch steel long enough to make the full bend?
 

4x4_Welder

Well-Known Member
Location
Twin Falls, ID
Regular sheet, plate starts at 1/4" / 7mm.
I don't think you will get a decent bend using that method for that width. Perforating or scoring it will make it crack. Depending on the alloy, heating it can make it crack as well.
You might be able to get a sheet metal company to bend it to your specs for minimal cost.
 
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