Reducing Springback in Sheet Metal Bending

When the punch retracts, every bent part relaxes slightly toward its original shape. This springback is the number-one cause of out-of-tolerance angles.

What Drives Springback

• Material: Higher-strength and harder materials spring back more; annealed and mild materials less.
• Bend radius: Larger inside radii (wider V-openings) increase springback.
• Method: Air bending springs back most; bottoming less; coining almost none.

How to Control It

1. Over-bend to compensate — bend past the target angle so the part relaxes to spec.
2. Switch to bottoming or coining for critical angles.
3. Use angle-measurement systems that adjust ram depth in real time.
4. Narrow the V-opening slightly to reduce the formed radius.

Consistent material and well-maintained tooling are the foundation — springback is far easier to predict when your inputs don't vary from sheet to sheet.