“SCS beats my local shops in every dimension… Did some bends my usual shop would have baulked at.”
We offer CNC bending for a wide range of materials including aluminum, brass, chromoly, copper, steel, mild steel, polycarbonate and titanium.
For a full list of materials and available thicknesses, please visit our materials page.
Bending adds 1-2 days to production. For the fastest lead time, order bent parts separately
5.4" x 6"
Laser Cutting, Bending, Hardware Insertion
6.3" x 7.4"
Laser Cutting, Bending, Dimple Forming, Hardware Insertion, Tapping, Powder Coating
4" x 5.5"
CNC Routing, Bending
| Min part size (flat) | .375″ x 1.5″ |
| Max part size (flat) | 30″ x 44″ |
| Maximum bend length | 16-44″ depending on thickness |
| Max Bend Angle | 130° |
See Processing Min/Max Size Charts for material specific limits
Bend radius and K factor are set per material thickness. Design your parts using our specs so they form as expected, we don’t offer custom bend radii.
Find specs in our Bending Calculator or Material Catalog.
Working in CAD? Import our gauge tables for Autodesk Fusion or SolidWorks to apply the latest specifications automatically.
Upload a 2D vector file (.dxf, .dwg, .ai, .eps) or a 3D file (.step, .stp). You’ll confirm bend angles and flange orientations in a 3D preview during checkout.
| SOFTWARE | FORMAT | BEND LINE |
| Fusion | .dxf, .step, .stp | Solid line (default) |
| Adobe Illustrator | .ai | Solid, separate color from cut lines |
| SolidWorks | .dxf, .step, .stp | Dashed line (not hidden) |
| AutoCAD | .dxf, .step, .stp | Dashed line (not hidden) |
| CorelDraw | .eps | Solid, separate color from cut lines |
| Inkscape | .eps | Solid, separate color from cut lines |
2D files: Mark bend locations with a line at the center of each bend. Line color doesn’t matter, our system ignores it.
3D files: No bend lines needed. Model your part with our bend specs, save, and upload.
All bent parts:
Sheet metal bend angle tolerance:
Polycarbonate bend angle tolerance:
Polycarbonate-specific considerations:
Minimum flange length depends on material and thickness — check the specs on your chosen material in the Material Catalog.
For U-channel and C-channel bends:
These limits apply to 3- and 4-sided boxes and to parts with two flanges on adjacent edges (perpendicular bends). They assume every flange is bent 90° in the same direction.
Flange length is measured from the bend line to the flange’s outer edge. Flange width is measured along the bend line.
For parts with hardware installed, the maximum flange length for 4-sided boxes is 3.00”.
Parts bent from Polycarbonate
Polycarbonate parts with more than 3 bends require a custom quote.
Please note that we’re unable to form boxes that close in on themselves.
Bend relief notches reduce stress on inner radii and prevent corner tearing or bulging. This is critical for polycarbonate, which cracks without adequate relief.
Window bends are allowed up to 90° for sheet metal and polycarbonate. More acute angles need review by our team and may require a custom quote.
Joggle bends are allowed up to 90° for sheet metal only. Min and max joggle flange values are on each material’s spec chart.
A window bend is a flange cut on three sides inside a part and bent out along its fourth side. These minimums assume bends of 90° or less. Check the die width for your material thickness in our bending specifications chart.
| Die width | ● Min window width | ● Min bend line to cutout edge |
|---|---|---|
| 0.472″ | 0.450″ | 0.55″ |
| 0.630″ | 0.450″ | 0.75″ |
| 0.984″ | 0.450″ | 1.10″ |
| 1.575″ | 0.850″ | 1.50″ |
If adding a parallel surface (break-off tab) for a window bend, add it to the exterior of the part.
Recessed bends will have the same minimum width and minimum gap requirements as window bends.
We can bend irregular flange shapes, but we need a flat surface parallel to the bend. Add break-off tabs to create a straight reference edge, then remove them after you receive your part.
We form sheet metal and plastic with air bending, where the punch presses the material into a V-die without bottoming out. This affects bend radii and is especially important to understand for polycarbonate.
Die lines are witness marks left where the tooling makes contact with your part during forming. Cut features that fall within die lines or the bend area will distort as the material stretches.
Learn how to avoid feature distortion in our Bending Deformation Guidelines
Combined lines: Bends on a common axis must be joined. If they’re separate, each will be treated as an individual bend.
Intersecting bends: We can’t bend intersecting lines that don’t have separate flanges.
Incomplete bends: A bend must extend all the way across the area being bent. We can’t form partial bends.
Insufficient contact: Flanges need to meet the minimum flange length for at least ~50–60% of the bend’s length on both sides to provide enough press brake support. Thicker materials (.187″–.250″) need more contact.
Insufficient or missing bend relief: Certain designs require bend relief to avoid damage to the part. Without proper relief, a part cannot be bent accurately. This is critical for polycarbonate parts since the material is prone to cracking.
If you’re designing parts for powder coating, these resources may help:
Top Quality Store
Please note: Pricing examples on our website are provided as general estimates and may not always reflect current prices. While we strive to keep these examples accurate, uploading your file is the best way to see instant current pricing.
We accept .ai, .dxf, .dwg, .eps, .stp, and .step
Customize one of our simple parts templates
