Bending without galling

Bending sheet metal may cause galling: a build up of metal particles on tooling. This leads to part marking, less accuracy and even trapped parts inside the V-opening. Learn which products and solutions WILA offers for dealing with galling.

How to deal with galling

Fabricators who bend a lot of galvanized sheet metal, aluminium or stainless steel, are familiar with galling, the buildup of particles of the sheet material on the bending radii of press brake dies. Galling looks a lot like small scratches on the die's bending radii, and it introduces multiple challenges into the bend operation:

Decreased accuracy
Part marking
Trapping the part in the V-groove in cases of excessive buildup

Galling can occur so quickly that operators often have to clean tools after just 10 runs, which is a massive hindrance to their workflow and productivity. Fortunately, you can reduce galling by regularly cleaning your tools or investing in tooling with a protective coating.

Ways to limit galling

Bottom tools with EnduraBend coating (OZU-EB)

EnduraBend is a versatile and durable tool coating designed to minimize galling, especially when bending galvanized sheet metal, aluminium or stainless steel.

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Bottom tools with OZU-ZN Coating

OZU-ZN coating was designed to prevent the build-up of zinc deposits on tooling. It may be less versatile than EnduraBend but is a more cost-effective way to prevent galling.

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