A method for setting the travel of a press brake comprising at least one sensor, which measures a physical parameter (p) that varies with the force exerted by the punch on a piece of sheet metal placed on the die, and an electronic device that controls the displacement of the mobile apron. Instantaneous bending angle α under load of the piece is calculated as a function of the displacement; the bearing force (f) of the punch on the piece is calculated using the value of the physical parameter (p); the sequence of values for the instantaneous bending angle/bearing force pair (α, f) is compared to a reference curve (α, f)ref which is pre-recorded during a bending operation involving the same material, and the electronic device calculates a bottom dead center correction taking account of the deviation between the (α, f) pairs and reference curve (α, f)ref.