Sheet Metal Machines and Equipment

The five sheet metal machine types in the KNUTH range

Cutting and forming sheet is split across five machine types, each listed as its own category with full technical data. Which one belongs in your workshop follows from the work, not from the price list.

• Press Brakes press the sheet into a bottom die with an upper tool. Highest bending force, tightest radii, programmable back gauge. They also trade under the names bending press and die bending machine.
• Folding Machines clamp the sheet flat and swing a beam upwards to raise the flange. First choice for long flanges, trays and lighter gauge panels.
• Guillotine Shears cut a full sheet across the bed in one stroke, treadle operated or motorised.
• Plate Rolling Machines roll plate over three or four rolls into cylinders, cones, ducting and tank shells.
• Edge Beveling Machines put a weld preparation bevel on a plate edge.

Sheet metal bending and cutting: matching the machine to the job

A workshop cuts first, forms second and dresses the edge last. For straight cuts across a full sheet a guillotine shear costs the least per cut, while openings, holes and profiles are work for laser cutting machines or plasma cutting machines. When it comes to bending the shape decides: sharp flanges and multi bend parts on a press brake, long flanges and thinner material on a folding machine, anything cylindrical or conical on a plate roll. Tube and section work goes through tubes and profile processing, straightening and pressing jobs through presses.

Hand operated, NC and CNC sheet metal machines

A hand operated machine has no control system, which keeps it cheap to buy, cheap to keep and simple to repair on site. That still wins in remote workshops and in training. NC machines drive the back gauge and the beam to preset positions. A CNC machine holds the full bending sequence in a programme, compensates for crowning and returns the same angle across a run, which is what a repeat order needs. Older machines can be brought into data collection with retrofit sensor kits and IoT gateways.

Materials, plate thickness and tensile strength

Mild steel, stainless steel, aluminium, copper and brass are all standard fare. What governs machine selection is tensile strength, not plate thickness on its own. Stainless absorbs much more force than mild steel of the same thickness, aluminium much less. Read working length, thickness and grade together and check the rated values in the technical data.

Tooling, blades and accessories

Punch and die govern the inside radius on a press brake, and a segmented clamping beam makes closed trays possible. A folding machine relies on a segmented folding bar, a guillotine on blade sets that can be reground rather than replaced. Tooling and blade sets are quoted alongside the machine.

Industries in South Africa and the region

Mining and materials handling take the largest share, with chute liners, ducting, guards and fabricated structures. Oil, gas and petrochemical fabrication follows, along with heavy engineering, boiler making and tank work. Add steel merchants and general fabrication shops, HVAC and ducting contractors, trailer and body builders, switchgear builders, plus technical colleges and apprentice workshops.

Why KNUTH as your sheet metal machine supplier

KNUTH has supplied machine tools since 1923 and acts as a supplier, not a machine builder. Series are selected, inspected and documented before despatch, with the documentation available on request. The regional base at Germiston near Johannesburg looks after the market with sales, technical advice and parts supply. Pricing follows working length, thickness class, control level and tooling, so every machine is quoted on its own.

Service, spare parts and delivery

Commissioning, servicing and repairs run through local service partners. Common spare parts come from stock, special parts directly from the manufacturers of the components. The spare parts supply commitment runs for ten years company wide. Installation and operator training can be arranged on request, with the scope and the delivery time set out in the quotation. Contact us by email or phone for pricing, availability or a recommendation on machine size.

Further Machine Categories at a Glance

Here is an overview of our machine range. Select a category to learn more about individual machines and their technical data.