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Minimum Flange
The shortest flange dimension that can be supported by the die during bending without the material slipping. Minimum flange is approximately equal to half the V-die opening, and can be a limiting factor when designing sheet metal parts with short legs.
Minimum flange is the shortest leg dimension that a V-die can reliably support during bending, and violating this limit is one of the most common causes of rejected parts in sheet metal fabrication. The rule of thumb is that the minimum flange must be at least half the die opening plus the material thickness, so a 1-inch die opening with 0.060-inch material requires a minimum flange of approximately 0.560 inches.
When a design calls for a shorter flange than the tooling can support, the material slips during bending, producing an inconsistent or uncontrolled angle. Press brake operators can sometimes work around tight flange requirements by switching to a narrower die, but this increases tonnage demands and may affect the achievable bend radius.
Designers who check minimum flange requirements against available tooling early in the design process avoid expensive mid-production tooling changes and part redesigns.
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