Press Brake vs Finger Brake - The Basic Guide

Swag finger brake and electric finger brake as most common Finger Brake.

A various Press Brake range, with hydraulic press brake being the main one, and hybrid press brake and fully- electric press brake becoming the new trend.

Finger Brake and Press Brake both have similar uses for metal bend, Today through this article analyzes more differences.

What Is The Finger Brake?

The Finger Brake only to bend thin metal sheet, the maximum bending thickness up to 2 mm.

As it are often used to make Pan and Box, they are also called Pan and Box Brake.

Finger Brake bend the sheet edges, which are shaped by turning the lower table and allowing the sheet to be squeezed by the upper die.

The bending length is usually 1300mm long, 1500mm long, 2500mm long and up to 3000mm long.

During the folding process of the Finger brake, the tool and the workpiece do not make relative motion and impact, so that the surface of the workpiece is smoother.

Swag Finger Brake

Swag finger brake is all manual work, with simple positioning device, suitable to produce fixed angle workpieces.

Swag finger brake can be divided into with teeth type or without teeth type, when manufacturing air duct products, the choice of flat top mold. When manufacturing common plate flange duct, the upper mould with teeth is used.

Electric Finger Brake

This type of metal finger brake is driven by the motor, the bending force output is bigger.

The metal finger brake can be adjusted, it is necessary to rotate the angle adjustment disc to the required angle in advance.

The metal finger brake is equipped with lifting motor, which can lift the opening height.

The bending speed of sheet metal finger brake is faster than swag finger brake, and the working efficiency is higher, which is better for mass production.

What Is The Press Brake?

Press Brake providing bend capacity for sheet metal forming.

Press Brake manufacturing is developed, which is controlled by numerical control instead of manual control, and closed-loop control is formed by controller, proportional valve and grating ruler. Therefore, the modern CNC press brake is more dynamic and sensitive.

Press Brake according to different sheet's features and complex shapes, combination with 2D or 3D programming and simulation.

The Key Differences Between Press Brake And Finger Brake

Structure & Working Principle

Finger Brake

Finger Brake mainly consists of base, tool and clamping system, manually operated.

The machine adopts the principle that the lower knife is fixed, the upper knife is clamped and the folding plate is upturned to fold the edge.

The machine adopts bevel gear and screw to rotate, stable and reliable operation, simple structure, easy adjustment and maintenance.

Press Brake

The press brake is mainly composed of machine frame, ram, hydraulic system and CNC system. Through the oil cylinder to drive the slide up and down movement so as to bend the plate;

The CNC press brake has a huge range of options. For example, laser safety, 3D simulation of the CNC system, 6-axis back gauge, crowning system, laser protection, robot arm, etc;

The press brake can be exchanged with different upper and lower dies to meet different bending requirements, in addition, forming dies can also be used, which are suitable for mass production of fixed products.

Function

Finger Brake

Finger brakes have a fixed bending angle, a small adjustable range and a single moulded shape;

Finger brake always rely on the bending beam to generate the bending force, and the same edge is bent once.

Press Brake

Press breaks with more advanced capabilities, offering bending forces from 8 ton to 3,000 tonnes and lengths from 0.2m to 16 metres;

The press brake can be replaced with customised bending tools to achieve special requirements for forming;

The CNC bender are equipped with more control axes and auxiliary devices for the production of small and complex sheet metal parts with precision;

The CNC brake have a higher degree of automation, allowing the production of lines and automated robots for collaborative production;

The sheet metal bending machine supports the new all electric servo and servo-pump control technology, which can anticipate and enhance the future of sheet metal processing technology, with the advantages of energy saving, environmental protection and high efficiency.

Which Is Better: Press Brake vs Finger Brake

In general, the press brake has more advantages than the finger press brake, mainly affecting the following aspects:

The press brake has multi-axes can accurately calculate the angle and size of the metal sheet, so the bending angle and size is more accurate; finger brake is the edge of the plate is the most benchmark, by the plate's own factors have a large impact, the bending results of the some error.

The press brake can automatically select the mold library and adjust the parameters to complete to bend specific shapes faster; the finger brake needs manual adjustment and multiple verification, and the bending efficiency is lower.

The press brake is equipped with an advanced control system, which can simulate the bending before bending, and analyse the collision situation between the tools to ensure the stability of the bending action; the finger brake is more controlled according to experience.

The press brake can be equipped with more optional devices, such as laser protection, limit switches, etc., to maximise the safety of the machine and worker operation; Finger brake have simple devices and the safety needs to be improved.

However, the investment cost and operation level of the press brake is higher than that of the finger brake, so the selection of a sheet metal bending machine should be considered from various aspects, combined with the actual production situation, to choose the most ideal machine.

Conclusion:

The future sheet metal processing market is diverse, and technological innovation and the stable quality can avoid elimination.

At present, bending technology is developing towards automation and precision, and the application of finger press brake in the market is gradually decreasing, only suitable for home and workshop processing. CNC press brake have become the main choice in the sheet metal industry. If you need a bending machine to increase productivity, Call ZFY today! Since we focus on providing complete sheet metal machinery solutions.

ZFY is also innovative in finger brake technology. If you wanna improve the mass production of metal boxes and pan, you can learn about our Panel Bender. We will analyze this adjustable bending technology with more customers.