The present invention is a bending machine for bending material such as steel to form cutting dies for products such as cloth, leather or the like. Coiled material (12) is fed through a material washer (108), straightener (110) and printer (164) by a material feeder (104) to a bending head (106). If required the material is forwarded through the bending head to a heating unit (114) and retracted to the bending unit to aid in bending. A nicking tool (116) is also provided ahead of the bending tool (106) to nick the material. The nicks enable the cutting die to cut notches in the product being cut. A support surface at the output end of the machine supports the material as it is bent into the required form.