ROBOTIC BENDING
The TK FLEXIBEND CELL with seven-axis robot from Schiavi Macchine.
Image: SafanDarley.
AUTOMATE TO ACCUMULATE
“ The precision, speed and flexibility of the robotic bending process minimises human errors and material waste, contributing to increased productivity and sustainability on the shop floor.”
Why should manufacturers opt for robotic bending systems? We outline the benefits of the technology and its latest advances and capabilities.
Sheet metal bending is used across nearly all industrial sectors. In the automotive industry, it is used for body panels, brackets and frame components. Aerospace applications include structural parts where precision and low weight are critical. The construction industry uses it for roofing, gutters, façade elements and structural joints. The food and medical industries rely on stainless steel bending for work surfaces, equipment housings and medical devices. Electronics manufacturing uses it for enclosures, server racks and distribution cabinets. The furniture industry uses bending for metal frames, legs and components.
“ Laser cutting and sheet metal bending complement each other exceptionally well. Laser cutting produces precise parts with tight tolerances and clean edges, which serve as a reference for accurate positioning in the press brake. Laser cutting also reduces preparation errors, improves repeatability and shortens setup time. Parts cut by laser and then bent on CNC press brakes can achieve tolerances of up to ± 0.1mm— among the highest in the industry,” confirmed FLAMULA doo, a sheet metal specialist based in Slovenia.
Robotic bending in focus
Robotics integration is crucial to unlocking greater efficiency, flexibility and productivity in sheet metal manufacturing. Robotic sheetmetal bending is an automated process in which an industrial robot, working in combination with a CNC press brake, takes over all handling operations— gripping, positioning, rotating and unloading the workpiece. The robot replaces the operator in the most demanding, repetitive and risky tasks, while the CNC machine performs the bending operation with precision. According to analyst
Precedence Research, growing industrialisation, improvements in CNC and smart manufacturing technologies, and an increase in demand for premium metal components are all contributing to market expansion. Businesses are adopting automatic bending machines due to growing investments in infrastructure development and the move towards effective, high-volume production processes.
Image: @ Bystronic.
“ A robotic bending cell doesn’ t merely increase speed— it reimagines what operational uptime can mean. It acts as the driving force that turns an ordinary fabrication shop into a high-performance manufacturing hub, unlocking hidden capacity you may not have realized was there,” commented ADH Machine Tool.
“ Far from being a one-size-fits-all tool, this technology is a flexible, high-impact strategic asset. Its implementation varies widely depending upon whether the objective is maximizing throughput in an automotive production line or achieving rapid responsiveness in a custom fabrication shop. Robotic automation creates its greatest value by transforming a fabrication business’ s financial architecture— replacing a labour-intensive, variable-cost model with a predictable, asset-driven one that sustains profitability over the long term,” it added.
The bending cycle
The robotic bending cycle follows clearly defined steps.
■ Material feeding: The robot picks up the sheet from a pallet or loading table.
38 | ismr. net | ISMR July / August 2026