Metal Forming
From Midlake Products in Louisville, Ohio
Midlake Products is a metal manufacturer located in Louisville, Ohio offering metal forming as part of our custom manufacturing process. We combine top of the line equipment with years of expertise and craftsmanship to provide metal forming for sheet metal parts including custom hinges.
More about metal forming
Metal forming is a process in which parts or components are fabricated from metal stocks which explains how we change the shape of a piece of metal. However, it can be broken down into about five different categories.
These include mechanical workings -- like forging, extrusion, rolling, drawing, sheet forming, casting, powder and fiber metal forming, electroforming, and joining processes.
Press brake metal forming
Metal forming through press brakes utilizes a variety of presses to shape plate or sheet metal. The press brake can bend, corrugate, curl, notch, perforate or punch holes.
Press brakes can press a variety of metals including:
- Aluminum
- Cold Rolled Steel
- Galvanized Steel
- Steel (All Alloys)
A press brake is used for secondary forming of sheet metal blanks that has been punched or laser cut. It can accommodate a large range of work piece sizes. Press brake bed lengths range from four to fourteen feet, and they bend with a force of 20 to 250 tons. Press brake tools are generally standard. Almost any part can be sized and formed with standard tools. Special tools are also available. Press brakes are excellent for small and medium run fabrication.
Performing precision metal fabrication
Press brakes are usually numerically controlled (CNC). They can be hydraulically or electrically powered. CNC press brakes (link to CNC page) can be programmed for automatic back gauging, going in and out, up and down with depth stops for accurate repeatability and speed. There can be a number of tool stations across the bed of a single press brake.
You can achieve almost any degree of precision with press brakes, but excellent tolerances result from excellent cutting or forming use to make the original blanks. Parts must be designed for critical functionality. Production volumes will increase the economic value of fabrications.
Why Choose Midlake
At Midlake, we improve fit and function by using our newest CNC press brakes in conjunction with the problem solving skills of our sales engineers and press operators to create the exact parts you need. Call us today for a free quote on custom manufacturing including metal forming form our 3 plants located in Louisville, Ohio.




