Plate rolling machines are one of the most versatile equipment. They can be used to bend and shape metal into various forms including cylindrical, conical, and special shapes, employed to manufacture parts and components in a large variety of sectors, which allows maximising the return of investment to the fabricating workshops easily.
Choosing the right partner is key to a successful operation, machines must be built with top of the range materials and components, where special attention to the machine structure is key. This will prevent not only malfunctions but also will reduce to the minimum machine downtime.
An Insight on Plate Rolling
The plate bending equipment uses rolls to bend and is classified into three types based on the number of rolls: two, three or four-roll plate roll. Additionally, plate bending machines can be classified based on their technology and guides, that it is why an expert plate rolling machine advice from an experienced company is needed as many factors should be considered including parameters of plate and processing requirements.
The pyramid-type Plate rolling machines, with three or four rolls, are divided into two separate categories for cost and performance: bending rolls with planetary guides and bending rolls with linear guides. The planetary guides are appreciated for their lower cost and the linear guides are preferred because they guarantee a shorter distance between the bending rolls and therefore rolling precision.
The 4-roll plate bending machines, with linear or planetary guides, guarantee greater productivity and are easier to use as well as being the only ones that can effectively be automated with numeric controls. The four roll plate rolls are widely used for mass production, high volumes, repetitive production in an automatic cycle. They are fast and precise, and are normally used in a variety of industries to produce wind towers, truck tanks, HVAC components, etc.
The 3-roll machines are instead preferred for their versatility and flexibility, and they are divided into two categories: 3-roll pyramidal plate rolls as previously stated (linear or planetary guides), and 3-roll plate rolls with variable geometry. The three roll machines are the ideal solution for a versatile and flexible production, including the production of cones. They are normally used to manufacture pressure vessels, heat exchangers, pipelines, etc.
At last, we have the 2-roll plate bending rolls, suitable for large series production of thin-sheet metal products (<0.2’’ / <5mm).
Technical features
As with any other metal bending machine, the technical feature that characterizes the most the bending accuracy is the minimum possible distance between the points of bending; in a press brake it is the “V width”, in a plate bending roll the distance between the rolls. In short, the closer the lateral rolls’ approach to the central axis of the machine, the more precise the rolling will be.
For instance, as in a press brake, the accuracy of rolling means being able to concentrate the bending force on one small portion of sheet metal to obtain a pre-bending with minimal flat or to optimize the final calibration quality in a longitudinal welded area.
This is a feature that makes the 3-roll variable geometry machine the preferred choice of those fabricators who demand rolling versatility with maximum use of the bending force, precision in pre-bending and calibration.
Force Management
In a plate roll, like in any other metal forming machine, the bending capacity is directly proportional to the available force.
The force required to achieve the bending momentum that forms the steel plate depends directly on the distance (minimum and maximum) between the lateral rolls. In practice, the bigger the distance between the rolls, the smaller the force that they exert because of the leverage effect will that be higher at the expense of circularity tolerances.
On the contrary, machines with rolls at shorter distance need larger hydraulic cylinders (installed forces and larger structures) to ensure the same bending capabilities, with the advantage of higher bending accuracy but with the disadvantage of requiring a higher investment.
When evaluating whether to invest more in a machine with tighter geometry (closer rolls) and higher tonnage of force you must consider the following factors:
- Amount of material to be cut at the edge that has not been properly rolled in the pre-bending phase
- time spent to calibrate the circularity of the shell
- quality of the final product
Greater quality and reliability are guaranteed by a machine that provides the maximum promised force by using the hydraulic circuit with medium-low pressures.
Control systems
Workforce, consistency, productivity needs point to CNC.
There are many reasons to choose a CNC plate bending roll. They provide consistent leading and trailing edges and accuracy, facilitate varying degrees of automation, and allow simple development of irregular shapes. But the most important reason is to augment the skills of your new workforce.
The CNC capabilities help to increase productivity. Faccin Group’s latest Siemens CNC is an invaluable must have integration. All our CNCs can be powered with a special function called RSM (remote service management) securely connected to the FACCIN Cloud Service. The RSM, is in fact a system that ensures the machines can be reached via IP connection for different purposes like software updates and diagnostic, monitoring of the machine functions, collection and transmission of production data for the implementation of all the functions necessary to ensure compliance with the norms of Industry 4.0 and creation and transmission to the Cloud Database of the physical operating data of the machinery for parameter analysis and development of predictive diagnostics. Furthermore, a web portal allows to evaluate the performance and settings of the machine.
Reviewing: these are the main features to consider when acquiring a plate rolling machine
- Machine construction
- Machine power
- Possibility of adding tech-based accessories such as support devices, feeding tables, plate alignment systems, etc.
- Control systems
- Reliable partner with an expert team to support the process.
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