Forming

Fotofab offers two methods of forming parts:
1) Hand forming utilizing Fotofab's etched bend line technology, or,
2) Traditional hard tool forming.

1. Etched bend line technology
Parts are manufactured with an etched score line on the inside of the part in every place where a 90 degree bend is desired. These parts can be shipped to you in the flat state for easy and accurate bending at your location, or, can be formed for you by our skilled technicians prior to final inspection. Parts that are eligible for this type of forming method are typically greater than .005" thick, and are not load bearing or subjected to extreme vibration. All parts that are pre-formed in this way are individually layered in protective foam to maintain their dimensional integrity during shipping.

Benefits of this technique are:

• No additional costs for a traditional forming tool
• Typically only seconds to form each piece by hand
• Very low incremental cost over flat parts

2. Traditional Forming
If your parts do not meet the dimensional or strength requirements of our etched bend line technology, we can also provide parts that are formed in the traditional manner. This involves building a metal die around which the parts are bent. Parts bent in this manner have slightly more structural integrity than etched bend line parts and can be bent to configurations other than 90-degree angles.

Benefits of traditionally formed parts are:

• Incremental lead times of only one to two weeks
• Structurally stronger parts at the bend lines
• More bend choices than etched bend lines
  (obtuse or oblique angles, radii, etc.)
• Forming tool costs are still thousands of dollars less than stamping tools

In either case, it is easy to see that Fotofab can provide the maximum in performance and flexibility for your formed part needs.