TOOLS & INFORMATION

Important info about aluminum grades:  "Ideally, part designers should know that when it comes to aluminum grades, 3003 and 5052 will bend, 6061 will not. This is generalizing, of course, as there are ways to form 6061. The aluminum series’ ability to bend tends to decrease as you move down the list of tempers, from annealed to T4 and T6. Bending these tempered alloys is not impossible, but it is very difficult and will most likely require large bend radii to avoid cracking on the outside of the bend. If you’re not careful, you can completely fracture the bend line." - Steve Benson, The Fabricator, August 2018