that added value of that 3in1 toy is that it will quickly make him realize how really valuable was the service of people who made parts seen in those pictures
If you actually read what I post before commenting you would have seen this is NOT FOR F'ING PRODUCTION! This is just to prototype/short-run little brackets. A couple of 45 to 90 degree bends here and there, nothing super precise. Real production sheet metal goes to sheet metal vendors with the proper industrial-grade CNC equipment.
At this point a 20 ton press with a heavy duty die attachment seems to be the ticket.
Also, if you read my post, there are two applications here. One is to donate one of these tools to the local high school robotics club so the kids can learn about working with sheet metal. It is clear now that providing them with something that can do 1/8 might not be practical. Then again, they would only be making a handful of parts per season, so a 20 ton manual press with a die might be OK. On the other hand, the 3-in-1 little machine might be enough to give them a taste without being too dangerous. One of the things we have to contend with all the time are the liability aspects of anything we introduce into the program. The school district can be a real pain to deal with. This is why, for example, the kids are not exposed to welding or machining other than to watch videos. Pretty sad if you ask me.
As for the other application (our shop) I don't have that limitation and I have a much larger budget. I hate the idea of having to deal with a manual press, so I have been looking for a reasonably priced "less work" setup. That likely means an electrically driven hydraulic press.
At one end of the scale there's this:
20 Ton Shop Press | Edwards Manufacturing
With the portable power unit this would run about $8K
The brake tooling and back gauge would run another $2,500. So about $10K total.
This would definitely be a slick setup and one that would be very useful for all kinds of other applications.
That's where I am right now:
If the school district approves it, the 3-in-1 machine might be a decent learning tool for the kids at the high school robotics club (if the school district approves). I would actually spend more money and donate a manual (Harbor Freight) 20 ton press and die set but I seriously doubt the district would be comfortable with that.
In our case, it seems that the smart thing to do would be to buy the $10K press/tooling package from Edwards. That goes beyond anything we might want to do and the press would add massive utility to the shop.
At the other end of the scale I found this:
Potter USA - Fine Tools. 20 ton Electric Hydraulic Jewelry Press
It's about half the money as the Edwards. My concern is that this is 1/10th the machine and you'd have to make everything for it yourself. It might be OK for bending small (2 in wide max) 1/8 mild steel brackets, but it feels like spending the extra cash for the Edwards rig would be a far more intelligent decision.