Pan Brake

Pan brakes are manual devices with the purpose of bending thin sheet metals. During operation, adjust the clamping leaf to press down the sheet metal firmly and pull up the bending leaf to perform a clean bend of desired angle. It is important to confirm the thickness limit of a pan brake before operation as pan brakes can only be used on sheet metals thinner than its thickness limit.

Some advantages of pan brakes include[1]:

• Can perform small flanges
• Easy to operate and require minimum tool change
• Continuous bending from radius to angle without interruption

Some disadvantages include[1]:

• Limited reverse bending
• Limited side flanges

While working with sheet metal in general, the sharp edge could cause injury and operators should be cautious when handling them. Before using a pan brake to perform bending actions, it is advised to lay out the order of bending as the incorrect order could cause insufficient spacing between leaves.

Reference

[1]Andy Kamashian, Folders or Press Brakes? How to Choose, Southern Fabricating, 8-Nov-2018, [Online]. Available:https://www.southernfabsales.com/blog/folders-or-press-brakes-how-to-choose  

[2]University of Waterloo, ENGINEERING STUDENT SHOPS - Equipment, [Online]. Available: https://uwaterloo.ca/engineering-student-shops/equipment

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