Urethane Die Inserts, Easy Metalforming

The Acroform™ insert is made of a specially formulated urethane and is designed to fit standard female press brake dies. This composition does not compress, but flows to form the shape of the male punch, literally wrapping the material around the punch, providing a scratch-free, accurate bend.

Just simply slip “Acroform” into an existing female die (Fig. A). Acroform™ sizes correspond to the nominal steel die opening – 1″ Acroform™ fits 1″ wide standard die. Use approximately 2″ longer Acroform™ length than length of bend. If long bends are being made, simply butt Acroform™ ends together (Acroform™ is available in up to 4′ lengths) using two-faced tape in the female die to prevent Acroform from separating at the joints (Fig. B). Press or die misalignment is not a problem as it is with hard steel dies.

Remember no-marks on stainless, aluminum, vinyl coated stock and pre-painted stock. Cracking is reduced and in many cases eliminated when forming difficult materials.

The Fastest Way to Short Flange Bending

For Example try forming these flanges in steel dies:

5/16″ Leg, 90° Flange, 16 ga. M.S. 1″ wide “V” die
1/8″ Leg, 90° Flange, 24 ga. M.S. 1″ wide “V” die
1/16″ Leg, 90° Flange, .001″ Brass, 1″ wide “V” die
5/8″ Leg, 90° Flange, 10 ga. M.S. 1″ wide “V” die

For guidance of the tonnage required with 1″ Acroform™ and a 90° bend in M.S.:

20 ga. – 4 tons/ft. approximate
16 ga. – 6 tons/ft. approximate
14 ga. – 9 tons/ft. approximate
11 ga. – 20 tons/ft. approximate

NOTE: No female die change was necessary for any of the above forming examples. However, bends of this type may cut and otherwise reduce the life of the Acroform™ pad.

For maximum life of Acroform™, use the least penetration that will produce the desired bend and generally do not penetrate to a depth of more than 30% of the Acroform™ height. *Clean Acroform™ to avoid abrasion.

NOTE: Bends will generally have little or no springback and you may find that standard over-bend punches can be replaced with accurate male punches.

The maximum thickness capacity of your female die remains approximately the same when using Acroform™, except that you can now also form thinner materials without changing the female die to a smaller size.

SPECIAL NOTE: 2″ Acroform™ forms all 90° and 30° bends normally requiring smaller die openings. For short flanges and smaller press brakes, particularly in gauge stock, 1″ is adequate. Because applications of Acroform™ vary, it is not possible for us to predict precise results covering all cases.

Acroform™ Advantages

ECONOMICAL
FITTED IN SECONDS
REMOVED IN SECONDS
FORMS MANY BENDS
NO MARKING
ACCURATE FORMING
SHARPER BENDS
REDUCED SPRINGBACK
USES EXISTING FEMALE DIES
NO MATTED DIES REQUIRED
ELIMINATES WEAR
WORN OUT DIES BECOME PRECISION DIES

Acroform™ Inserts

For a quick and effective way to avoid die marks on stainless steel, prepainted material, etc. simply position these 1″ or 2″ inserts in corresponding 90°bottom dies! The K•Prene® insert will conform to a variety of punch tips. In addition to eliminating the secondary procedure expense of removing die marks, your die will now act like a universal bottom die. The forming of expanded metal or mesh is simplified, as cracking is reduced and often eliminated.

Acroform™ Inserts with a Hole

Indicated by * in the part numbers below: Our new design will help to reduce tonnage required for bending. This design is ideal for radius bends of up to 1/4″ radius.

This product is stocked in K•950A. It is available in softer grades.

Pricing Current as of 2018

Dimension	Length	Part No.	Price
	12″	KAF16100012	$13.00
	24	KAF16100024	25.95
	36	KAF16100036	38.85
	48	KAF16100048	51.85
	12	KAF16200012	29.00
	24	KAF16200024	58.00
	36	KAF16200036	87.00
	48	KAF16200048	115.80
	12	*KAF16200012WCH	27.90
	24	*KAF16200024WCH	55.80
	36	*KAF16200036WCH	83.65
	48	*KAF16200048WCH	111.55