Construction of Variable Sheet Metal Hand Bending Tool

Automotive chassis is made from deep drawn and stamped sheet metal pieces. Corrosive resistance of the chassis is maintained by the means of galvanizing technology in synchronization with the usage of modern coatings. During time, the coating can be chipped off - especially on the chassis underbody (e.g. from gravel or rocks). In such places corrosion quickly develops and the sheet metal deteriorates. This chassis needs to be repaired in order to prolong vehicle lifetime. The body repair is performed by cutting-out the corroded segments and replacing it by welding. For the modern cars, the sheet metal parts are easily obtainable in the specialized stores, but there is problem of finding sheet metal parts for “oldtimer” vehicles. In such cases, the sheet metal parts are required to be custom tailored with the basic tools and excellent problem-solving and manufacturing skills. This paper brings the idea of adjustable (modular) hand-bending tool for the bending of sheet metal segments, so that they could be custom tailored to the car chassis damaged place.