Most 16 gauge brakes I have used including my own require a tremendous amount of effort to bend 16 gauge, To the extent that I don't bend 16 gauge in mine unless im forced to. The exception to this is my cnc controlled (16 gauge capacity) brake that bends 16 gauge with ease, and when its down and I have to use the manual machine it stresses me out. I can tell you that exceeding the brakes capacity on a portion of the brake will wear the dies quickly, causing them to round over and deform over time. I don't know what your folding or the thickness but if you intending on exceeding the published capacity or bending material close to it on a frequent basis I would be looking for a press break or a leaf with better capacity. This has been my experience, others may vary.
The thicker the material, the more of an offset you need between the lower die and the upper die. Thicker material requires a larger bend radius and that is how it is achieved. At some point your going to be forming your radius and not bending it. Creating a stress riser at he bend.
