Bending Steel With Plastic Tools

I've been wondering if 3D printed tools could possibly bend steel. It seemed possible unlikely. I designed and printed several tools which are used on a hydraulic press to bend and form steel sheet metal. This particular tool could be made by CNC machining the tools from metal but 3D printing it is much faster and easier.
These videos usually take a ton of work and a lot of money in tools and materials. I've made a patreon if you're interested in supporting the creation of these projects: / stuffmadehere
If you're interested here's some of the tools that I use in this video:
Pneumatic jack conversion for my 20 ton press: amzn.to/3ajft6j
Hypertherm powermax 45xp with machine torch: amzn.to/2zfoyAv
Small machinist square. Cheap but useful: amzn.to/2XK6I2N

[@UpsetCuzzy]

His dads such a genius. Creates a genius with the help of his wife, which 30 years later fixes his tools for him. Master of all plot twists

[@weeb3277]

His dad's wife 3D printed a genius.

[@lorenzothepasta2820]

@esp ele wha

[@melissa6470]

It was is master plan all along

[@FlybyJunkie]

As a Tool and Die maker it was interesting to see you work through this, impressive what you were able to do with 'plastic', really

[@charadremur333]

Resin.

[@dimitrispapadakis2122]

chara dremur that is the reason he put air quotes

[@ataraxic89]

@@charadremur333what do you think resin is?

[@Phelan666]

@@charadremur333 Rosin.

[@okuno54]

@@Phelan666 Rosin is a solidified resin from which the volatile terpenes have been removed by distillation; I don't know of any 3d printing process which uses or produces such materials.

[@court2379]

I have to laugh at the $50 in resin used to fix a $30 saw, but obviously that wasn't the point. Great demonstration, I wouldn't have thought it would hold up as well as it did.

[@FlybyJunkie]

We build $500,000 cells to make $0.27 taser darts for $200 guns 😉

[@computername]

Why just buy a tool when you can spend twice the amount of money to try and make one yourself - it makes you appreciate the real tool that you buy in the end so much.

[@dinosoarskill17]

is sla that expensive?

[@xConundrumx]

I get what you are saying, but if you can re-use the mold for multiple copies ... Admittedly this particular item might not be the best example for that.

[@JamesLee-sw6ss]

@@xConundrumx Not sure how many times... Exploding dies were a theme :D

[@chromosundrift]

Quick audio suggestion: I've noticed in many of your videos that your compressor successfully cuts in whenever you drop a part on the bench to avoid an overly loud bang, however the release time is quite long so your voice is too soft for a moment after each time you do this. If you reduce the release time by 100-200 ms it should fix this. Additionally prepend a high pass filter with a well chosen low cutoff frequency before the compressor, and you will have less power in the bang of a dropped part which will help keep that out of your final audio without removing too many low frequency harmonics from your voice or the other interesting sound you want to keep in videos like these.

[@pacmop]

I like your funny words magic man.

[@stroopwafelfalafel]

I've been looking into getting better at basic audio editing. Got anymore tips?

[@cellularmitosis2]

Thanks for sharing this! Dabbling in compression myself.

[@jasonhance9088]

This is a common issue with forming dies. You were on to something when you said the die was in tension. To overcome this issue you can press fit the brittle material like tool steel, carbide or plastic into an outer ring. The key is to preload the die cavity further than it would naturally stretch during the bending operation. This prevents the tool material from goin into tension. The best way to do this is to add some draft angle to the die insert and make the opposite shape in the outer ring that is smaller by the amount of compression you need. You would then press the insert into the ring to achieve the interference desired. If you get it right the die will not split. You would then be limited by the compressive strength of your tool material.

[@Stagg369]

I love science man. I just works, and when you see it, in the moment. That we are slowly becoming the masters of everything (if we don't blow ourselves up before then), it boggles my mind

[@kieronscully1161]

That's a great explanation, thank you for sharing fantastic info and insight like this!

[@gracefool]

@@Stagg369 the problem is we're not masters of ourselves, so the blowing ourselves up part is inevitable. More people were killed last century than the previous 19 combined.

[@ruukinen]

@@gracefool A total of *50 billion people lived between 0-1900 compared to a total of 10 billion between 1900-2000. I question your assertion. * Estimated

[@gracefool]

@@ruukinen Sorry I should've said "killed in war". I don't know about killed all up. And of course the average person died younger.

[@pacman10182]

"somehow lost the blade guard" "lost"

[@NightFiire]

I’m watching all of your videos and I have seen the evolution from how you film them and I must say the newer videos are much more attention holding and entertaining while maintaining all of the cool machining and knowledge. I’m glad you read and take consideration into comments from your viewers. It has made viewing even more enjoyable =)

[@sam123rocks]

this is so true, i just came back to this one after seeing it in my recommended. His new stuff is crazy different. He really upped his game with the editing

[@leoirias3506]

Yeah and not only the editing part, the way he handles himself in the videos is so much better. And way funnier too haha

[@user-njyzcip]

12:49 you missed a golden opportunity to say "that die has died"

[@cloudyeight]

Top notch video. Gained a sub. Keep doing what you're doing and you'll be at 1m subs in no time.

[@averyshaw2142]

looks like you might be right

[@MetalMario137]

Yeah, it literally took no time at all lol. As of 10-13-20 (6 months after OP), he's already at 1.07 mil!

[@bldjln3158]

@@MetalMario137 He’s gained 200,000 since your comment only six days ago!

[@MrMikkmokk]

This comment aged well.. 😎

[@jorgemiar]

9 months later and he's about to hit 2M

[@MrSlaughtematic]

If you do the powder coating in house, I'd love to see a video on that

[@Z-Ack]

Is not hard , they actually make a kit to do it in your oven.. eastwood makes the powder and you statically charge the powder with a special gun and ground the part then bake on the powder in the oven... perty cool but couldnt be nearly as skookem as factory coated parts where theyre put in a kiln...

[@NigelTolley]

There's a few ways to do it. A coat of oil then "shake n' bake" would work for that small stuff. Or the hot air gun method.

[@FarmCraft101]

Awesome video. What material were you printing with? PLA? ABS?

[@shifty7739]

Looks like SLI printing in resin. Not sure.

[@atomix2559]

@@shifty7739 Yeah he says it's resin near the end of the video 19:35

[@LittleRainGames]

that is form labs tough resin well, the blue die was.

[@RegeraV8]

The grey one looks like tough 2000 form labs resin. It is resin for a SLA printer. I have one too and the prints are so much stronger than FDM prints

[@RegeraV8]

@@LittleRainGames i think the blue one is draft resin, my draft is blue at least and the layers seem quit high

[@namAehT]

Kind of amazing how far your videos have come in these past two years. I'd love to see some "smaller" more exploratory videos like these two sheet metal forming videos in addition to the "large and strange" project videos.

[@jamesatwood4433]

Has tormak, does not have color printer.

[@bmo14lax]

*helped create tormak

[@Tachikomaster]

Nice idea and execution, also decent explaining, I like where this is going! Also, I think you and This old Tony have the same manicure studio :D

[@MakeStuff]

Can I use 3D printed parts to bend steel? > Machines the die anyway Half cheating or not, I'm digging the videos. Keep it up!

[@dingbattoast7446]

"Gives me that great feeling of instant gratification I'm seeking" The number of decisions I've made in my life for that very reason 🤣

[@CaiAllinx]

This so interesting, I know you couldn't work out every little detail but as someone who has worked at a company designing new machines and spending thousands upon thousands on tools and dies; This is super promising for reducing the cost of designing machinery. For a company moving into mass production, creating parts in this way is an absolute necessity and this could be a way to drastically reduce research and developments costs. Can I ask what resin and 3D printer you used for this process?

[@ExtantFrodo2]

Yes, if the plastic version even holds up for one pass of forming, you know you can make the same form in steel for mass production.

[@Brandon-zo9ly]

This. Replicating a replacement part for a cheap tool is not the end goal here. Being able, to for work or hobby, take something from an idea to forming metal is game changing.

[@freemoviesforyou7090]

Am I gonna be the one to say it ok 0:00 legend was born

[@nobodyasked9047]

Yeah dude, probably the fastest growing channel I’ve seen. He’s gained 2.7 million subs in one year. Very impressive.

[@goodandzloi]

I don't want to work anymore. I also want to do what I love to do in my life. Can you please build a humanoid robot which can replace us and the job we hate to do in our lives? I need universal basic income. Please!

[@unbelievabubble]

Most innovative use of 3d printer I've seen in a long time!

[@reallynothing6845]

Try searching for a KZbin buddy.

[@staalman1226]

@@reallynothing6845 He said " most innovative" not "weirdest"

[@unlink1649]

IMO that's what 3D printing is about. Making prototypes rapidly to test comcepts

[@iangomes]

This channel is awesome. I appreciate you going back and trying it without the machined part, too. That attention to detail really makes the channel great.

[@ameliabuns4058]

I love how injured your hands are. That's the maker life xD

[@Livlocalmartian]

Not really maker life, anybody that works hands on for a living has frequently injured fingers. My dad installs windows and doors, and he once brought me home the point of his finger pad and asked me to put it back on😂

[@agentsd3428]

@@Livlocalmartian no one asked for it

[@masonmore1797]

How many people are waching this cas it is his first video

[@Mrcaffinebean]

This was fun! I just subbed! Your approach to learning and teaching reminds me of Applied Science.

[@patrickchristie82]

I’ve been looking for something like this for a while. Happy to find this. Subscribed. I’m planning to try something like this with PETG on an FDM printer. I learned some things here. Looking forward to future videos.

[@weldmaster80]

Next step, an ak bending jig lol

[@gregjenkins5258]

"The printer wasn't available". You mean you didn't want to wait the eight hours it was going to take make a new one. Lol

[@Segphalt]

More likely: "I'm already 6 hours in on a different 40+ hour print and I'll be damned if I'm stopping it now when I can churn this out on the mill in 30 min."

[@Birdman369]

After 2 years in eng, I can finally understand most of the terms Shane is referring to

[@gauravbose5074]

The ambitious hawk nearly smoke because plywood individually program towards a normal list. sassy, cute network

[@Finnspin_unicycles]

look at 3dmagicmike on instagram, he did some very succesfull sheetmetal forming with 3d printed dies.

[@cyanidetrece]

Beat me to it. @3d_magic_mike

[@EcoMouseChannel]

You are 90% there to hydroforming. I'm pretty sure the 3D printing can be used as bucks and forming dies. But with the hydroforming techniques, the flowing medium supports the material all the way around. Giving you much crisper features. My favorite DIY version just uses a steel box and a rubber pad with the shop press. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqiYqniDqKmriJo

[@justinlau6865]

Its amazing to see the progress of this channel in 11 months! The production value, the writing (!) and the projects have gotten really really good in a super short amount of time. I wonder how many subs this channel had in march 2020? 2m in Feb 2021

[@igorz3551]

2.4m March 3, 2021

[@OGbluetooth_]

Also, the memes

[@pire2]

3.58 M 1er January 2022

[@David_11111]

$1000 dollars worth of engineering, to fix a $20 saw .... love it :)

[@adammetzger4182]

I probably would have bought a new one. Took the blade guard off and put it on the old one. Then returned the new one and them it was missing.

[@timothybishop8755]

I feel like a learned a lot in this video. Excited for part 2.

[@DasIllu]

Milling really is just 3D unprinting. :D

[@markgiles8527]

I am liking all the creativity I am seeing on KZbin. Well done, bro.

[@RobertMilesAI]

I think this might be a good application for casting. Print the form shape, use it to make a silicone mold, then cast the actual form in a casting resin. Probably there are casting resins that are much more durable than printing resins, and cheaper too. The other nice thing is, once you have the mold it's very quick and cheap to make more forms if/when they wear out. Crafsman/SteadyCraftin has some good videos about this process (there are some stumbling blocks, like certain UV-cured printing resins will prevent silicone from curing properly if you don't seal them well).

[@Tunkkis]

There are casting resins which can be SLA printed, I believe.

[@veltro5659]

1 year of Chanel and 2 million subscribers... This guy is savage

[@Aleeeks101]

Holy sh*t, you've only been making videos for a year?? Your new videos seem like you've been making them for 5+. Welldone!

[@rmyc]

3d magic Mike has done many 3d printed dies

[@xYsnFn]

Is this his first video

[@bikefarmtaiwan1800]

Made some bending and punching dies for a project a few years back- incredibly satisfying. It is great to see what a fantastic job you have done with plastic forms. Love your plasma cutter

[@betogonzalez5714]

Very excited to be another subscriber! Great content, as an engineer I enjoy these deeply

[@ChikitoPOWA]

Very nice and interesting, I'm looking forward for the next part!

[@Fluff-Daddy]

@@capitalm417 yes it was

[@clayton_earl]

Bloody legend…

[@bestcodclips805]

U were the first of the first kaliin

[@removechan10298]

0:50 take a digital photo online, print it, then film it again... I am glad your editing chops are more refined today, I just found this interesting! btw this is one of your best series (if 2 is a series) I would love for you to look at SED's video on stamping dies and look at what's possible, maybe take a bruton design and say "these parts would be better as stamped metal" (of course you need to cut the holes, but a chinese sponsor could help there, but you can drill/cut sheet metal in shop or by hand even, to maintain the DIY robotics ideas)

[@thenickdude]

Great project and really well presented!

[@AlbanianFix]

14:14 what actually happened is that you didn't place your press piston right on top of the die and the mold at 12:10. You had it just right at first then decided to move it and went off-center, thus causing the camming you're talking about. Great video nonetheless!

[@NoSubsWithContent]

9:11 "so i just kept on smashing to see if i would get anything out of it" Hehe you know what im gonna say but im not saying it

[@ExtantFrodo2]

"Squeeze him here and see if he passes another." (Monty Python something or other)

[@meadball1]

9:12 "I kept on smashing to see if I got anything out of it..." Phrasing man! Phrasing! 😆😆

[@justinmerrell9997]

Are you partnering for Formlabs for a webinar. Saw an email they just sent out using pictures from your video to promote it.

[@StuffMadeHere]

I work at Formlabs :)

[@AlphaBobFloridaOverlord]

I greatly appreciate the time, the effort, and the expense of doing all these experiments and the fact that you’re sharing it with us! It looks like you’re working through the challenges in a very logical and efficient manner.

[@vincentguttmann2231]

Just... WOW!!! Your channel went VIRAL!!! 115K Subs in 2,5 MONTHS!!! Keep it up, and keep building such cool stuff! Also a collaboration with This Old Tony could turn out great!!!

[@alberthancock672]

This is awesome…hope your Dad appreciates the fix for the saws all

[@matthewevans252]

Nice job, man. There's nothing at all wrong with printing hobby models, but it's great to find a youtuber using 3D printing for actual functional parts for once. I have a resin printer (highly accurate but the resins are typically even more brittle) but use it to print either a form which I can make a silicon mould around and then cast one out of a high-strength, two-part resin, or if geometry allows, print the mould directly, add a release agent and just pour resin straight in . Asides from the obvious benefit of having stronger forms, you can also use much less print resin (or filament) as most of the structure is infill because it doesn't need to be strong. Can also add glass fibre or carbon fibre to the two-part resin to further increase strength. Obviously this creates one more step, but it's a good middle ground between expensive, machined metal forms and brittle, instant 3D printed parts.

[@mykalimba]

Moral of the story: you get what you pay for at Harbor Freight.

[@fysh44]

Was this his first video??

[@zero_gravity5861]

Makes massive, solid SLA parts. That’s it.

[@waywardhero1177]

LJTwiggy I was wondering if FDM would work better? A solid piece with properly annealed layers could do wonders. Plus it works to FDM’s strength

[@zero_gravity5861]

Exactly my point! It’s not like layer lines would get transferred to the part anyways. And when properly oriented, FDM would not only hold up to the vertical compressive force much better, but also be particularly well suited for the expansive force provided by the part while bending.

[@evanbarnes9984]

I'm impressed by the resin! If you watch the video again of the shaft camming before the die breaks, you can see the top plate of metal actually bend a few degrees before the die breaks and the plate springs back. That was something like .25" thick steel or aluminum, right? That resin held up to some serious force before breaking.

[@Molenkof]

Me {desperately trying to salvage a toxic relationship}: 9:14

[@RadDadisRad]

I’m all for necessity but isn’t that reciprocating saw $20? Wouldn’t it be more advantageous to purchase new saw and preserve resources?

[@CM-xr9oq]

you're missing the point. he wanted to see if 3d printed dies would get the job done.

[@RandomInsano2]

Excellent video! I’m a hobbiest and far from a machinist, but the fact that you vocalized the pressures involved and the reasons the dies broke really got me thinking. I learned a lot in 20 minutes! Keep it up.

[@NoName-zn1sb]

hobbyist

[@RandomInsano2]

@@NoName-zn1sb Thonks!

[@bjondersson]

@@NoName-zn1sbI think he meant he is hobbier than others, and thus hobbiest.

[@derekvanditmars9136]

For the plastic dies that are not being compressed, they could be captured in a metal box. The metal box would also have the bushings...

[@zackjandali]

“Hopefully you enjoyed this. If you didn’t, I have no idea why are you still watching this” 😂😂😂

[@makingtechsense126]

Over 15 years ago I worked for a company that churned out millions of metal pieces per month. I learned a lot about punching and forming metals from pure observation of the manufacturing process. Metal forming has always fascinated me. Watching you do this with 3D printed dies is amazing.

[@UnwrappingByMimiKoteng]

15:45 nice vise!

[@S3thc0n]

Got immediate dentist flashbacks from the sped up aluminium machining. 😂 Otherwise, nice video!

[@MultiMcgruber]

I'd be curious to see how an FDM material like PLA would stand up. Or if an intermediate forming stage would reduce the stress involved?

[@StuffMadeHere]

An intermediate stage should definitely reduce the stress. If I can't get this to work with a stronger material then that's next on my to-do list. This is often done in progressive die forming operations. PLA might survive at 100% infill. It's really soft but if you avoid super high local stresses it might work out.

[@citterly]

I've played around with this a little, ABS was fine with 0.065" aluminum. From what info i could find, i think the SLA resins are weaker. Great video, thx for sharing.

[@tinygaragefab]

@@StuffMadeHere I've seen it done and will do it myself with low infill (~10%, as open as possible) and filled with epoxy to make it much more solid.

[@ethansalvadore7189]

I want you to make a video about that tree climbing robot that hangs Christmas lights

[@SiriusFuenmayor]

There are videos here on KZbin that make metal parts from 3D printed parts "lost pla casting", in the last one I saw the results where pretty good. You can use that to bend ticker parts

[@necaton]

it is just missing 15 views for 1,000,000

[@knucklefist8535]

Thank you. I hope your channel takes off! I've been toying with this concept in my head for a while, but I'm not an engineer. Seeing you put in action is a real inspiration. I want to make press formed metal panels (brass) for scale auto/rail modeling. Imagine a true to scale unibody or Monocoques made from 3D printed die press formed parts.

[@StuffMadeHere]

Brass would be a lot easier than steel. I tried to do this on hard mode with 16/18 gauge steel which is incredibly strong. No need to be an engineer to do this if you have 3D modeling skills. This could be done in blender or any other modeling packages.

[@bbrazen]

What kind of 3D printer do you have?

[@MakeTechPtyLtd]

Shared on 3d printing club Facebook group (36k members). -Ken

[@helium4amc]

Could you tell me which 3D printer are you using, please?

[@fzigunov]

Thumbnail: "Made with 3D printed tools" 1:45 - Shows a giant plasma cutter

[@Daniel_Herrero]

es cierto, pasa con muchos videos, el titulo dice FACIL DE HACER, HAGALO UD MISMO HECHO EN CASA, POR SOLO 1 DDOLAR, Etc, luego termina ocupando una maquina industrial de $100000 para hacer una pieza que cuesta $1

[@stapes7344]

A legend was born

[@Arek_R.]

So you used tens of hours and 30k+ of equipment to fix 10c part from a $20 powertool? Also how do you print such thick objects? With my cheap resin printer the part comes off the buildplate if it's thicker than 2mm...

[@Jerguu]

You missed the point of this entirely.

[@Hasankhan-vd6br]

What about just diecasting the 3 d printed die and then using it for forming metal

[@lemonman394]

You only started 9 months ago?!?!? That’s so cool

[@someguydino6770]

Brilliant, innovative AND persistent = BRAVO!

[@thatwideangle9781]

What 3D printer(s) do you use? And what material?

[@frandiminic3559]

18:54 seems like I exploded the die ... weeeeeeeeee

[@nicks6657]

You've come a long way from a vice break huh good job

[@mohammedfawzikharroub8482]

Hi, what 3d printer are you using?

[@Hunter-ym2kk]

just started to watch this vid.. i am a former engineer at Panasonic America. I worked on the cowling for the Boeing 777 Rolls Royce Engines, which is aluminum based metallurgy. The molecular work is the same for ferrous metals. Get the metal in a form where the molecules become fluid, and then move them to their max position, anneal the base metal, and repeat.. if you are doing all your work at STP, and do not ever anneal, you are "wrecking" the structures that you want saved for the final product. Ie.. it takes 20 process steps to move aluminum 1/4 of an inch, 3D. But, once you get there.. best possible product, which will not shear and fissure apart with micro vibrations.. love your stuff..

[@pratyushmandal4854]

I actually admire you a lot, and have seen all your videos. Really nice. For me, the best KZbin channel. I just wanted to ask, what is your profession?

[@dontask8979]

Print the forms into a steel box to keep the forms from bulging out with pressure. Your welcome

[@vidznstuff1]

That doesn't work with a resin printer. You could pour resin in later, I guess...

[@ZackariahCombs1]

I freekin love your builds! Very interesting alwayz a great watch ;) godbless keep makein great content!

[@michael7324]

I love that you have a $100KCNC mill and a Harbor Freight band saw. I love that...

[@atouchofa.d.d.5852]

Really cool. A lot of work for a HF saw though

[@1for2and3for5]

This is a 3 in the morning can't sleep kind of video

[@Cherokee913]

@Stuff Made Here Happy one year since your first KZbin video upload. Wishing you a very happy and successful decades to come of building, designing, programming and bringing enjoyment to millions. I will be following your KZbin career closely and permanently. Thanks for your hard work and excellent content. You're appreciated to infinity and beyond. Cheers

[@underourrock]

First and more importantly, this was a really neat video. Second, I just saw a video on PSU material if you have the enclosure, heated bed (160 degrees, so ac powered bed), and all metal hot end to do it. Very strong stuff. That all being said, I laughed when you said A Holes. My inner 12 year old is alive and well.

[@mhelmreich1]

The reason I watched this is because you have pretty much done something I want to try. I learned quite a bit from your success and failure. Keep up the good work.

[@UtubeEric12345]

What kind of 3D printing did you use to create those parts?

[@mohammadomarchagani]

I am recent subscriber and I can FEEL the difference between his recent videos and this one and it is crazy how much he has grown as a content creator in this while because I love his recent videos with the little jokes and everything

[@JustinDaze]

Interesting use of a 3d printed part. What material did you print the dies with?

[@StuffMadeHere]

Tough / rigid / grey pro on a Form 3

[@Sharklops]

2:15 - would that maybe be called a "buck"?

[@larrykent196]

Your vise setup, you need to show that, looks interesting. I bend stuff in my vise often but much more of a hack. I like the video, good job good lesson. Best of luck to you. Cheers!

[@hampez98]

CUS IM SO DRUNK ! THATS WHAY I WATCING