Small Job Quote Needed Bent Brass Rod

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Josh M

New Member
Hello,

I'm looking to get some parts bent from brass bar for a consumer product. Right now we are prototyping and eventually we will be looking to make 30 pcs/month.

This is my first bent part, so please let me know if there are any issues with the design and getting the curve I am looking for.

-Material must be purchased
-Qty for quoting: 10, 15, 30 and if a tooling cost applies
-Ideally would like a 1.5 week lead time
-It is important that the parts do not have any scratches or deep pits

RFQ ends 11/5/2016
 

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Hello,

I'm looking to get some parts bent from brass bar for a consumer product. Right now we are prototyping and eventually we will be looking to make 30 pcs/month.

This is my first bent part, so please let me know if there are any issues with the design and getting the curve I am looking for.

-Material must be purchased
-Qty for quoting: 10, 15, 30 and if a tooling cost applies
-Ideally would like a 1.5 week lead time
-It is important that the parts do not have any scratches or deep pits

RFQ ends 11/5/2016


What is this hook supposed to hold? Bending brass without gauging or cracking can be an issue. Not something we have done in the past, but I can ask my tooling people what they would recommend on my Press Brake. With the right tooling you can achieve any bend accurately. However, ordering special tooling can get pricey for a one off job. Especially with only 30 pieces a month. I can contact them, but your initial investment in this project is going to be rather expensive. Could you accept Aluminum that is anodized to look like brass, or steel that is powder coated to look like brass? Would most likely be easier in the finishing process and cut down on any potential scratching. Could also cut down on costs. My initial finding is that brass bar doesn't come in this size normally. Therefore, we would have to either A. Special order, or B. Machine stock down to the proper size. Anything is possible, but you get to a point where the costs become unfeasible.

On a side note, it Might be better to have these water cut into that shape using 5/16" plate. Our 4KW Laser can handle up to an inch of steel/ 1/2" of stainless steel. I do not have recommendations on brass, but I would assume it would be in the 1/8"-1/4" range... reflective materials cut down on cutting strengths of the laser.
 

Josh M

New Member
What is this hook supposed to hold? Bending brass without gauging or cracking can be an issue. Not something we have done in the past, but I can ask my tooling people what they would recommend on my Press Brake. With the right tooling you can achieve any bend accurately. However, ordering special tooling can get pricey for a one off job. Especially with only 30 pieces a month. I can contact them, but your initial investment in this project is going to be rather expensive. Could you accept Aluminum that is anodized to look like brass, or steel that is powder coated to look like brass? Would most likely be easier in the finishing process and cut down on any potential scratching. Could also cut down on costs. My initial finding is that brass bar doesn't come in this size normally. Therefore, we would have to either A. Special order, or B. Machine stock down to the proper size. Anything is possible, but you get to a point where the costs become unfeasible.

On a side note, it Might be better to have these water cut into that shape using 5/16" plate. Our 4KW Laser can handle up to an inch of steel/ 1/2" of stainless steel. I do not have recommendations on brass, but I would assume it would be in the 1/8"-1/4" range... reflective materials cut down on cutting strengths of the laser.

Hi Josh,

Thanks so much for your response. This is for a consumer product and we will need to use brass. This is my first time designing a bent part so I appreciate the help... for this initial investment are we talking in the hundreds or thousands of dollars?

I agree that this might make more sense as a waterjet part, so I might go down that route instead.
 
Hi Josh,

Thanks so much for your response. This is for a consumer product and we will need to use brass. This is my first time designing a bent part so I appreciate the help... for this initial investment are we talking in the hundreds or thousands of dollars?

I agree that this might make more sense as a waterjet part, so I might go down that route instead.


It depends on if the tool manufacture regularly sales this type of Punch and Die. If it needs to be dead on accurate (within .007" or so) and it isn't a normal round. (.375" / .75" -- regularly used ) than the initial costs will be a few thousand. But, if the bend is a normal bend and the manufacture has tooling in stock, then you would be looking around 400-700 depending on the P+D. Being that this is a small part too. I wouldn't quote me on these exact numbers, I'm giving a broad estimate from past experience. I'm also very unsure of the cracking and scratching. We can use a cloth material on the dies to aid in the prevention of scratching.

I have never bent brass. I know that blacksmiths routinely create pieces, but they heat the brass up to prevent cracking.

Another alternative, is to have the part fully machined. Possibly "Wire EDM" cut out and then cleaned up on a 2-5 axis machine or Fully machined out of block.

This project can have a lot of alternatives; Being a fabricator, and not having a water jet, and based on the amount of parts, I wouldn't even bother quoting this. More or less is due to the fact that we have never bent brass. I wouldn't want to be stuck hours figuring out how to properly make a process work smoothly only for 30 parts. Alternatively, if you were ordering 300, I would spend the time to do research and give you a proper quote.
 

Josh M

New Member
It depends on if the tool manufacture regularly sales this type of Punch and Die. If it needs to be dead on accurate (within .007" or so) and it isn't a normal round. (.375" / .75" -- regularly used ) than the initial costs will be a few thousand. But, if the bend is a normal bend and the manufacture has tooling in stock, then you would be looking around 400-700 depending on the P+D. Being that this is a small part too. I wouldn't quote me on these exact numbers, I'm giving a broad estimate from past experience. I'm also very unsure of the cracking and scratching. We can use a cloth material on the dies to aid in the prevention of scratching.

I have never bent brass. I know that blacksmiths routinely create pieces, but they heat the brass up to prevent cracking.

Another alternative, is to have the part fully machined. Possibly "Wire EDM" cut out and then cleaned up on a 2-5 axis machine or Fully machined out of block.

This project can have a lot of alternatives; Being a fabricator, and not having a water jet, and based on the amount of parts, I wouldn't even bother quoting this. More or less is due to the fact that we have never bent brass. I wouldn't want to be stuck hours figuring out how to properly make a process work smoothly only for 30 parts. Alternatively, if you were ordering 300, I would spend the time to do research and give you a proper quote.

Hi Josh,

Thanks for taking the time to write this all out for me, it's very helpful. I think I'm going to try to go down the waterjet route and see if I can get some quotes that way.

Cheers,

Josh
 
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