“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:
Our box bend and perpendicular flange length limits here assume that all flanges will be bent to 90 degrees in the same direction.
Parts with hardware
For parts with hardware installed, the maximum flange length for 4-sided boxes is 3.00”.
Parts without hardware
3-4 sided boxes and parts with 2 perpendicular bends can have flanges up to 5.00″ long.
For box bends and and perpendicular flanges 3.50″-5.00″ long, the flanges must be at least 1.10″ wide.
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.
The minimum cutout width for window bends in materials that are bent using a 0.984″ die width or less is 0.450″.
The minimum cutout width for window bends in materials that are bent using a 1.575″ die width is 0.850″. Our thickest bendable materials are typically formed using the 1.575″ die width, but be sure to verify the material specifications to confirm.
The bend length limits for window bends are the same as normal bends. You can find the maximum bend length for each material thickness in our processing minimums and maximums page.
The minimum distance required from the bend line to the edge of the cutout for the window bend will depend on the die width used to bend the material. You can confirm the die width used to bend the material thickness you need in our bending specifications chart.
These minimums assume bends no greater than 90°.
The minimum gap between the edge of the ‘window’ flange and its ‘frame’ will be the minimum hole size value for the material thickness.
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
