Diacro 16-24 hand operated press brake

Has anyone ever used one of these? How well did it work with 1/16 thick aluminum and 20ga and thinner steel?

The machine doesn't take up much space and I have a few parts that I would like to bend up that would be a lot easier to do in a press brake than in my box and pan brake.

Here is a link to a manual for anyone who isn't familiar with the machine: http://neme-s.org/Shaper Books/DiAcro/16-24_Press_Brake_Manual.pdf

I can't claim experience with this specific tool, but if it works anything like the Di-Acro 24" shear and finger brake, it should work very well. For 1/16" aluminum or 20 ga steel, it should be a walk in the park, with a little exercise on the side. Di-Acro stuff is generally well-made, and specified conservatively.

I've used a couple of them over 25 years or so. Very handy tool. Given the right punch and die combination, 12" bends in 20 ga steel and soft 16 ga Al can be made with the direct acting handle. Sometimes use of the ratcheting handle is necessary, but just for thick materials and long bends. The tonnage capacity claimed in the manual is on the optimistic side, IMO, and production bending in the upper range of its capacity is best done on a bigger machine. Using the ratcheting feature works, but just takes too long.

FWIW- oiling is important-there are only oil holes for most lube points, but way lube seems to work. The factory work stop is OK if tolerances are + or - .030", for + or - .005" two micrometer stops work a lot better.

If the action seems a little stiff, yoke heights may need adjustment. Page 7 of the manual shows the adjusters at the end of the line showing item 11. They adjust the height of the ends of the yokes, and therefore the ram, which keeps it moving smoothly over the ram guides. The factory stand is not stiff enough, IMO, and can flex depending on the floor level, so a one time adjustment may be all that's needed. The rest of the stand could use improvement, too. The one shelf on the factory stand isn't nearly enough storage space for punches and dies, so a narrow Lista cabinet with drawers 24" deep has been on my list for a while. I may get to it before I die

Great little machine. I wouldn't want to be without it. Do you have one? Looking for one or curious? (I'm just curious, too ) And yellow, apparently.

Neil

neilho said:

Great little machine. I wouldn't want to be without it. Do you have one? Looking for one or curious? (I'm just curious, too ) And yellow, apparently.

Neil

Click to expand...

I'm looking at one and working towards a fair price.

Amateur Braker Here!

I recently purchased one of these Diacro 16-24 press brakes. I have never operated a press brake of any kind but wanted to modify and make some brackets by myself so that I could do it as needed and not have to wait 2 weeks for a shop to do it for me.

I have specified steel being bent for years and understand the basic technology but have never actually done this. This little machine has a few things that might help me if I just knew what they did. We have our punches and dies in place and I think pretty level to each other.

HA!! NOW WHAT??????

There's a rack of some kind nested behind the brake part that must do something. Is it a stop or holder of some kind?

Do I just hold my steel and pull the lever? That's what I was going to do but then thought I should do a quick search to see if I could find some instructions.

This string is 2014 so everyone involved could be dead by now.......... Hopefully not but It would be great to get some input.

Also, I have not posted in a forum like this for a long time so hopefully it's understandable with my pictures.


Thanks!!!

Jeff

Hey Farm Boy, these machines are great. I own one and use it all the time. The setup you use really depends upon the parts you're attempting to create. It may be a good idea to start a new post with a pic of the parts you are trying to make along with basic dimensions. That should get you some good answers regarding specific tooling/setup/operation. The rack you mentioned is a stop to make repeatable bends.

Once nice thing about those small brakes is that the tooling is easily fabricated with a (large) shaper or mill with reasonable travels.

As you have shown, very easy and fast for 1-off prototyping.

I'd like to have one. Used one years ago, nice piece.

Farm Boy Builder said:

I recently purchased one of these Diacro 16-24 press brakes. I have never operated a press brake of any kind but wanted to modify and make some brackets by myself so that I could do it as needed and not have to wait 2 weeks for a shop to do it for me.

I have specified steel being bent for years and understand the basic technology but have never actually done this. This little machine has a few things that might help me if I just knew what they did. We have our punches and dies in place and I think pretty level to each other.

HA!! NOW WHAT??????

There's a rack of some kind nested behind the brake part that must do something. Is it a stop or holder of some kind?

Do I just hold my steel and pull the lever? That's what I was going to do but then thought I should do a quick search to see if I could find some instructions.

This string is 2014 so everyone involved could be dead by now.......... Hopefully not but It would be great to get some input.

Also, I have not posted in a forum like this for a long time so hopefully it's understandable with my pictures.


Thanks!!!

Click to expand...

Yes that is a stop, there are 2 styles I have seen, the over center like yours and the dual threaded that I have. Both are goofy

So, these are made to do multiple parts really consistently, rather than one part quickly


Once set up with a stop you can make a million parts perfectly, but making one part can be a bit of a PITA.

Ideally you get the die height set perfect, everything just so, that way the ratchet lets go when you have made your bend.

Running it less than perfect you can put too much force, and break the casting on the handle, or rip the teeth off the ratchet

The idea is you raise and lower the upper die with the handle, then use the ratchet handle to actually make your bend.

If you try to use the larger diameter handle to actually bend with, you can break the cast piece that attaches the handle to the shaft
If you have the lower die too high and bend using the ratchet but it won't release you will rip the teeth off of it trying to pull it up


Love mine but wish I had a finger brake for stupid stuff

Yeah, I'm here. Not dead....yet.

Mine still has the original stop system, good for tolerances of +or- 1/16". Mostly I use mic heads mounted to the back of the die. Holds +or- .005".

The direct acting handle produces more force at the bottom of the stroke, so lowering the die as far as possible while still completing the bend avoids use of the ratcheting handle as much as possible (it's just faster), but sometimes there's no avoiding the ratchet. Wider vees in the die also help reduce force required. Standard opening is 8x material thickness.

I was taught to set up thusly: Set up the punch and die so that the punch just reaches the bottom of the die, touching on both ends. Set your part stops evenly, measuring from the back of the die and recording the measurement. Bend a premeasured sample, checking the angle and adjusting the height of the die on one end or the other to make the angle consistent. An adjustable stop under the handle helps considerably with making a consistent bend from one part to the next.

Once the bend is consistent along the part length and the angle is correct, measure both legs on the outside of the part. Add them and subtract the original length.That's the bend allowance. Some people do it the other way - measure on the inside of the bend. I find it easier to measure the outside - whatever works. Once you have those numbers, adjusting the stops gets the right leg length, usually first time. Fussier tolerances require more adjustment.

Punches and dies can be made on a b'port if needed. A 42" table can do a full length die.

Here's a shot of the mic stop system, adapted to the original system for a part with long leg length. (And I see the mice have been at work again. Little bastids!)




Normally the stops are mounted to the back of the die via the setscrews visible at the far end of the left hand 1/2" shaft. Stiffer that way.

My .02

neilho - you write "an adjustable stop under the handle helps... " - meaning a depth stop. I'm sure it would, but I've not had any clear vision of how to make/adapt/mount such a depth stop? Do you have one? Could you post a picture of it?

I don't have a purpose made stop for the handle, but have used a dial indicator and mag base, also a chunk of steel clamped vertically to the factory leg with a machinist jack between it and the handle. My first brake was mounted on a piece of 1" plate that extended out under the big handle, so it was much easier to rig an adjustable stop (chunks of steel with sheet metal shims) than my present brake which has the factory stand.

Normally I use the direct acting handle (the ratchet is slow) and adjust the height of the die so the desired bend angle occurs when the ram is at the bottom of the stroke, also when a screw head on the ratchet gear hits the factory stop. So the die height adjusters (or bed support bolts, in the manual) act as an adjustable stop.

The end of a screw against a flat on the big handle would be a more convenient stop, for sure. Bolt a bar/tube to the leg of the factory stand, a threaded hole in the end for a long screw, the end of which bears against the handle?

But I'm speculating - got any ideas?

I was hoping you'd have a picture of something brilliant! Adjusting the die height for every bend is too slow - have to look at it some more - really only need to be able to stop over a narrow range (from top-of-die plus material to max depth - so way less than the full 2" or so travel) Guess that'll make a good post if I get it to work.

Brilliant? Moi? Surely you jest!

If not using full length tooling, maybe a variable height whosey-whats between ram and dieholder? Like a piece of threaded rod and coupler nuts?

I started to make a pair of "end of tooling" stops, then went off a different way, that could still come to pass. Also realized yesterday that I could remake the coupling that attaches the lever to the torque shaft, and built some kind of depth stop into that. We'll see.