>> Damn. That process must take some designing!
> 
> Yes, that's why the tools have ridiculous prices, usually with 6 or even 
> sometimes 7 figures!  And then you realise why the guy gets annoyed when 
> you ask for +/-0.1mm tolerance between two specific points :-)


actually. :-} I imagine the inside of one of those is somewhat more 
complicated than a flat metal bracket.

>> Heh. How thick is the metal??
> 
> Usually 0.3 - 0.6 mm depending on how big it is.

How strong is the metal? And how heavy? I mean, I guess it varies by 
which particular alloy you use... Presumably somebody has already 
tabulated this data? I imagine for a sufficiently small part, you can't 
physically apply enough torque to it to actually bend it. (In normal 
circumstances, at least.) I guess that's why small twigs sometimes seem 
"stronger" than large branches...

> The tools are quite 
> beefy though, see attached (that is just stage 4 out of 7), all the 
> intricate detail in the middle is what actually makes the cuts and 
> folds, the inner working of each stage can be quite complex with spring 
> loaded plates and levers etc to do the bending correctly as the two 
> halfs come together.

Hmm. And now I'm wondering... how do you manufacture the tool you use to 
manufacture the thing you actually wanted to make in the first place? :-D

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