Sheet metal bends are formed using metal bending. Metal bending is a process by which metal can be deformed when applying force to the subject, which causes it to bend at an angle and form the anticipated shape, which often results in it being in a ‘V’ or a ‘U’ shape.

A press brake is a tool used in order to bend sheet metal and uses a punch and die to do this. Although press braking may seem straight forward, it can be quite difficult to remain accurate throughout the process. There are several types of press brakes which deliver different levels of force applied, such as mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic and CNC to name a few examples.

Mechanical 
Due to this press brakes design, it isn’t a suitable option for air bending. The two major benefits of a mechanical press brake are speed and accuracy, however other press brakes are safer and easier to use, such as the CNC press brakes.