Type of Bending Tools

A bending tool must be decided depending on the shape and severity of bend. Following are the different types of bending commonly used for precision sheet metal bending.
"V" Bending
"L" Bending
"U" Bending

V Bending Dies
V Bending dies have the simplest bending die design. The bending die have the shape of V with an included angle of 90° in most cases. The bending punch is also in the shape of V, but with a lesser angle than the die. And in some cases the bending punches may have a relief after a straight land to a certain length.

L Bending Dies
L Bending dies are used for 90° bending. L bending dies can produce more accurate and consistent parts compared to V bending. This is due to the presence of spring loaded clamping pads which will hold sheet metal closer to the bending line and then the bending punch pushes the sheet metal into the bending die along the bending line. L bending dies can also be used for bending angles smaller than 90° by providing suitable punch profiles and by controlling the travel of the punch. We may need a series of L bending operations to be done in a progressive metal stamping die to produce complex parts.