Curved Folding

foldable=makable

Metal thicknesses?

I'm interested in working with curved folds in water jet cut sheet metal materials. I was wondering what metals and thicknesses people have found success - the object I'd be folding is about 4"x8" with some relatively tight curves (look at the pictures in my profile). I know Gregory Epps has mentioned working with .005" aluminum-- how ductile is this material when folded? Has anyone attempted work with shim steel? I have access to a water jet so I should be able to cut anything that can be folded - the folds would probably be stitch cut not creased as well.

In addition I'd like to hear what plastics people have had good luck with in curved folding. PET? Something that can be laser cut would be best.

Thanks,

Ben

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Permalink Reply by Gregory Epps on November 15, 2010 at 13:03
Hi Ben, good questions... the 0.005" alu was very brittle, but I was running this through the CraftROBO so I wanted something thin. So maybe 0.2 - 0.4mm (0.008" - 0.015") would be more suitable at this size. A lot of it depends on the perforations though - the more material removed, the easier it is to fold. The installation at SG2010 was set at about 70% removal, for example, which worked well. Always a good idea to make some test pieces first... Greg
Permalink Reply by Kris Henning on November 20, 2010 at 1:41
In terms of a suitable plastic, it would be better to work with a Polypropylene (PP) sheet instead of PET, (it has a tendency to tear.) Where as PP has a high resistance to material fatigue and many plastic containers are made with it. You will be able to score lines using a laser cutter and fold the sheet easily, (works best with mountain folds.) For reference, a folding mechanism in a product is called a Living Hinge.

FYI - The PP in a Tic Tac lid has been made to withstand more than a million folds. Cool aye.
Permalink Reply by Benjamin Regnier on November 20, 2010 at 1:49
Thanks for the info (both of you!). We did, after some experimentation, decide to go with PP sheeting, mainly due to the ease of folding and the cost of the plastic - we're trying to make something quite large.

I'd heard the phrase "living hinge" before and didn't know what it meant. Thanks for the tip!

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