Question: Why is a press brake called a press brake? Why not a sheet metal bender or a metal former? Does it have to do with the old flywheel on mechanical brakes? The flywheel had a brake, like that on a car, allowing me to stop the motion of the ram before the forming of the sheet or plate began, or to slow the ram’s speed during forming. A press brake amounted to a press with a brake on it. I’ve had the privilege of spending a few years with one, and for many years I thought that was why the machine’s name is what it is, but I’m not sure that’s correct. It certainly doesn’t sound right, considering the word “brake” has been used to describe sheet metal bending long before powered machines came along. And press break can’t be correct, because nothing is broken or shattered.
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Answer: Having pondered the subject for many years myself, I decided to do some research. In doing so I have the answer and a bit of history to relay as well. Let’s begin with how sheet metal initially was shaped and the tools that were used to accomplish the task.
Before machines came along, if someone wanted to bend sheet metal they’d attach an appropriately sized piece of sheet metal to a mold or a 3D scale model of the desired sheet metal shape; anvil; dolly; or even a forming bag, which was filled with sand or lead shot.
Using a T-stake, ball peen hammer, a lead strap called a slapper, and tools called spoons, skilled tradespeople pounded the sheet metal into the desired shape, like into the shape of a breastplate for a suit of armor. It was a very manual operation, and it’s still performed today in many autobody repair and art fabrication shops.
The first “brake” as we know it was the cornice brake patented in 1882. It relied on a manually operated leaf that forced a clamped piece of sheet metal to be bent in a straight line. Over time these have evolved into the machines we know today as leaf brakes, box and pan brakes, and folding machines.
While these newer versions are fast, efficient, and beautiful in their own right, they don’t match the beauty of the original machine. Why do I say this? It is because modern machines are not produced using hand-worked cast-iron components attached to finely worked and finished pieces of oak.
The first powered press brakes appeared just about 100 years ago, in the early 1920s, with flywheel-driven machines. These were followed by various versions of hydromechanical and hydraulic press brakes in the 1970s and electric press brakes in the 2000s.
Still, whether it’s a mechanical press brake or a state-of-the-art electric brake, how did these machines come to be called a press brake? To answer that question, we’ll need to delve into some etymology.
As verbs, broke, brake, broke, and breaking all come from archaic terms predating the year 900, and they all share the same origin or root. In Old English it was brecan; in Middle English it was breken; in Dutch it was broken; in German it was brechen; and in Gothic terms it was brikan. In French, brac or bras meant a lever, a handle, or arm, and this influenced how the term “brake” evolved into its current form.
The 15th century definition of brake was “an instrument for crushing or pounding.” Ultimately the term “brake” became synonymous with “machine,” derived over time from machines used to crush grain and plant fibers. So in its simplest form, a “pressing machine” and a “press brake” are one in the same.
The Old English brecan evolved to become break, meaning to violently divide solid objects into parts or fragments, or to destroy. Moreover, several centuries ago the past participle of “brake” was “broken.” All this is to say that when you look at the etymology, “break” and “brake” are closely related.
The term “brake,” as used in modern sheet metal fabrication, comes from the Middle English verb breken, or break, which meant to bend, change direction, or deflect. You could also “break” when you drew back the string of a bow to shoot an arrow. You could even break a beam of light by deflecting it with a mirror.
We now know where the term “brake” comes from, so what about the press? Of course, there are other definitions unrelated to our current topic, such as journalism or publishing. This aside, where does the word “press”—describing the machines we know today—come from?
Around 1300, “presse” was used as a noun that meant “to crush or to crowd.” By the late 14th century, “press” had become a device for pressing clothes or for squeezing juice from grapes and olives.
From this, “press” evolved to mean a machine or mechanism that applies force by squeezing. In a fabricator’s application, the punches and dies can be referred to as the “presses” that exert force on the sheet metal and cause it to bend.
So there it is. The verb “brake,” as used in sheet metal shops, comes from a Middle English verb that meant “to bend.” In modern use, a brake is a machine that bends. Marry that with a modifier that describes what actuates the machine, what tools are used to form the workpiece, or what types of bends the machine produces, and you get our modern names for a variety of sheet metal and plate bending machines.
A cornice brake (named for the cornices it can produce) and its modern leaf brake cousin use an upward-swinging leaf, or apron, to actuate the bend. A box and pan brake, also called a finger brake, performs the types of bends needed to form boxes and pans by forming sheet metal around segmented fingers attached to the upper jaw of the machine. And finally, in the press brake, the press (with its punches and dies) actuates the braking (bending).
As bending technology has progressed, we’ve added modifiers. We’ve gone from manual press brakes to mechanical press brakes, hydromechanical press brakes, hydraulic press brakes, and electric press brakes. Still, no matter what you call it, a press brake is merely a machine for crushing, squeezing, or—for our purposes—bending.
Steve Benson is a member and former chair of the Precision Sheet Metal Technology Council of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association International®. He is the president of ASMA LLC, steve@theartofpressbrake.com. Benson also conducts FMA’s Precision Press Brake Certificate Program, which is held at locations across the country. For more information, visit www.fmanet.org/training, or call 888-394-4362. The author’s latest book, Bending Basics, is now available at the FMA bookstore, www.fmanet.org/store.
For years I have hunted for the real history of the press brake, and it is not that easy to find. If you have historical information about any type of brake—box and pan, leaf, mechanical, hydromechanical, hydraulic, or electric—or other bending machines like folders and panel benders, I would love to hear from you. I’m searching for names of machine manufacturers, brand names, dates the machines were introduced to the market, and more. You can drop me a line anytime at steve@theartofpressbrake.com.
The press brake has been in fabrication shops for years, and as technology has advanced, the press brake has undergone cycles of developmental advancement. Production and accuracy of part and component making have improved drastically over the years.
Along with that improvement to the machines, the need for more complex components arose. To accommodate this need for more difficult parts to be formed into more defined and unique shapes, the industrial industry has innovated the press brake over time.
Press brake history: the original method of bending sheet metal was to attach the sheet to a piece of sheet metal mold that was properly sized. The mold was filled with sand or lead shots. The T-stake was used to pound the sheet into the shape needed. This method is still in use today, but it is a lengthy process and requires rigorous manual labor.
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The cornice brake patented in 1882 was the first brake. It was a manually operated tool that clamped the sheet metal and caused it to bend in a straight line. Pan brakes, leaf brakes, and folding machines later came from these designs.
More efficient and faster versions were designed, but they worked differently than the original cornice brake.
In the early 1920s, the first press brake was developed. The original invention was a tool for crushing and pounding, and eventually, the term ‘brake’ became associated with the machine. From there on after the machine was called a pressing machine.
Now, both electric and mechanical press brakes are in use and perform the functions of the original press brake more efficiently. As for the ‘brake’ designation, it originates from the Middle English word ‘breken’ which means to change direction, break, or deflect.
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With a so long history, how will press brakes develop? There have been three major changes to the press brake over the years: Automation, Coordinated Flow, and Drive Systems.
– Automation
In the past, press brake operators had to spend a significant amount of time programming, inspecting, adjusting the machine and products, and test bending.
With the advances in automation, the press brake handles most of the prep-work and test offline. The machines of today can adjust to achieve greater precision and perform more accurate measurements. Machines have digital databases to allow for part program storage. Greater speed while operating is achieved by automatic press brake tool changers. Computer programs can design and set-up functions quicker.
– Coordinated Flow
Portable press brakes allow for better ease and greater speed throughout the fabrication process. Different parts and components require different processes and orders.
Smaller press brakes need less space in shops. The smaller size allows for the machine to be transported easier and the size adds more flexibility to its functionality.
The jobs of today are possible because of the adaptation of the press brake over the years. Greater ease and less production time have increased the viability of modern press brakes.
– Drive Systems
Early press brakes operated as mechanical presses with drive systems that contained a flywheel, eccentric crank, motor with a clutch, and a brake. The machines generated 30 strokes per minute and were popular in the sheet metal industry.
The newest thing to sweep the industry was the Just-in-time fad. Press brake machines needed to be more flexible in function and capable of creating the more unique orders that consumers wanted, and within a shorter timeframe. Because of the changing needs of the consumer, the hydraulic press brake was developed.
This machine remained at the forefront of production until recent years. The consumer’s needs changed again and saw the realization of the electric press drive.
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