Buying new punch and die sets for your older equipment can get very confusing. Looking for the right sheet metal forming tools for a difficult job? Or perhaps you purchased a used press brake with missing or damaged press brake tooling? Our Flood Supply customer service team can help you choose the right tools for your equipment regardless of its age, make or tasks you need to accomplish. Our hope with this post is to just share some of the basics about the most common press brake dies we supply clients and answer some of the more common questions. A direct conversation with you on your specific needs is the fastest way to get the questions you have answered. You can reach a sales engineer by calling (800) 235-9950 or using this form on the right.
The Basics About The Tools Used in Press Brakes
The three standard sheet metal punch dies are the 
“Straight Punch”, the “Gooseneck Punch” and the “Acute Punch” and from these most metal forming done with a press brake can be accomplished. Then there are several varieties of offset dies and hemming dies for combining multiple steps of a metal forming operation. Our team members are well versed on all these press brake tooling dies and can help guide you on the details required for getting the right ones for you. It does get more challenging when each press brake manufacturer makes their tool clamping systems, ram design and stroke windows just a little different and therefore tooling specifications are not universal.
Press Brake Manufacturers
We will need to know the equipment you are buying for. The four primary equipment manufacturers of press brakes are:
But in addition, we also service Salvagnini equipment, Bailiegh Industrial, Hako, Dener Makina, Echo Engineering and a number of other brands. Many of the press brake equipment models we supply dies for are older machines not supported by the original manufacturer.
Sheet Metal Punch Die Types
Most manufacturers provide the most standard press brake tooling when they sell you a piece of equipment new. As the equipment ages, it gets much more difficult to find replacement die sets from the manufacturer. They want to sell you new equipment rather than maintain older press brakes. That is where Flood Supply comes into the picture. Some of our clients have press brakes that were made in the 1960’s and we are able to keep them busy with sharp, clean edges and sourcing the best tooling solutions. We will probably ask you some key questions about your press brakes such as make, model, size of press plus the type of press brake die sets you are looking for.
V Dies For Press Brakes
The most common press brake upper dies are what we call V-Dies. They generally include a 90° punch, an 88° punch, a 45° punch and a 30° punch. The lower die includes a dual-V die, single-V die or a 4 sided lower V die. Here is an illustration of the 30° acute angle dies we sell often.
And the 90° V Dies for Press Breaks look like this:
Hemming Dies Are More Complex
Hemming is often a flattening process done after a 30 degree form has been made. Our clients 
enjoy the precision found in the spring-loaded hemming tools from Mate. They feature a durable spring inside the body of the tool that enables the die to perform two functions. Hemming sheet metal products can improve aesthetics, eliminate exposure of sharp edges and burrs in areas where the part would otherwise be dangerous to handle, and add strength to the finished part. Choosing the right hemming tools depends on how frequently you will be hemming and which material thicknesses you plan to hem.
Gooseneck Dies for Press Brakes
Gooseneck punches are ideal for forming special shapes where a 90 degree punch would interfere or channel forming in two strokes. Two examples of face width and the length of the return flange are shown. If longer return flanges are required, the punches can be cut back beyond the center line, however, the work capacity of the punch will be reduced. These are used with 90-degree female dies. We can source the specific gooseneck dies you need from a number of different die and punch manufacturers. Just share with us the specs you are looking for and we can get right on it.
Press Brake Dies for Sale
There are a number of punch and die manufacturers that we source for clients. It all depends on the equipment you are using in your shop and the basic specs of the press brake tooling you require. Pricing is always a concern for our clients and we at Flood Supply are keen to that. Give us a shout to discuss the specifics of what you are looking for. We will do the required research to get the best solution for you and give you some options. You will find our customer service team extremely knowledgeable and easy to do business with.
Call us at (800) 235-9950 or contact us here: https://www.floodsupply.com/contact-us/ with your email and we can chat that way.