Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for cNC bending shops.
A checklist built from how cNC bending shops work, to print or save as a PDF and bring to any supplier meeting.
What the software should cover
Tick each one that matters to your business.
- Quotation by bends and setups
- Bend programme library
- Tooling register
- Incoming blank check
- Machine queue and setup plan
- Angle and dimension record
- Downstream routing and dispatch
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For owners
- For estimators
- For press brake operators
- For tool-room staff
- For inspectors and dispatch
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Press brake hours by machine, job and customer
- Setup changes per shift and jobs grouped by tooling
- Angle corrections by sheet lot and material
- Tooling out for regrind, with return dates
- Blank lots held or rejected, with reason
- Scrap from bending by cause and part
- Quoted against actual bend hours by part
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- SMS
- WhatsApp or other messaging
- Barcode scanner
- Accounting export
- Spreadsheet import
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- How are bend programmes stored?
- Can it group jobs to reduce tooling changes?
- What does it record about springback?
- Can punches and dies be tracked individually?
- Do blanks from different cutters need separate handling?
- Does it send programmes to the press brake?
- Can operators use it at the machine?
- Can existing jobs and parts be loaded?
- How is the work priced?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Good programmes stay on the controller
- Tooling is hard to find and harder to account for
- Springback changes with every sheet lot
- Blanks arrive without a bend-ready check
- Angle checks are not kept
Prefer to talk it through? See the cNC bending shops page.