Rolling plate can be viewed as an art and with an experienced operator that understands the equipment, the material, and the application, the outcome can be very profitable. Unlike other forms of metal bending such as press brakes, the material is not forced into a predetermined shape through a coining method, but rather it is coaxed into shape through strategic positioning of rolls while moving the material. Experienced operator aside, the correct machine must be matched to the job, material, and production that is demanded.
Analyze The Plate Rolling Process Drawings
Operators must be fully versed in their plate rolling workpieces. A revision of the design might not be required if the pieces have already been manufactured, but eventually, the plate rolling operator must be aware of:
- Type of material and yield strength.
- Thickness and length of plate metal.
- Diameter and tolerances for plate rolling workpiece.
- Is there a round with varying radii or conical shapes in the workpiece, that will involve a different plate bending machine (3-roll or CNC 4-roll bending machine)?
- How many workpieces are rolled per hour? (CNC automatic steel plate rolling production line will improve production efficiency)
In the absence of any of this data, the supervisor will be required to make an educated assumption. The part now runs the danger of being inaccurate. An important initial step is to have detailed drawings.
Plate Rolling Machine Selection
The plate roller types are often referred to in many different ways by manufacturers such as three-roll initial pinch, three-roll double-pinch, four-roll double pinch, three-roll variable translating, three-roll pyramid, and two-roll systems. They are also available in a vertical design that is suited for special applications allowing the material to roll across the floor instead of high into the shop ceiling space.
The plate rolling process drawing is used to select the tooling. There are a few options available to you: 2-roll bending machine, 3-roll bending machine, CNC 4-roll bending machine
- For instance, if the workpiece has varying radii or conical shapes, you should use CNC 4-roll plate bending machine.
- For stainless steel plates with a thickness of less than 7mm, a 2-roll bending machine is a good choice.
- For high-efficiency production requirements, you can expand the CNC 4-roll or 2-roll bending machine configuration into a fully automatic plate rolling line.
- For that specific workpiece cone, you should use a 3-roll cone rolling machine or a 4-roll plate rolling machine with a cone device.
Of course, for the manufacture of complex workpieces, you must have a corresponding bending machine.
Well, if you don’t have these machines, you’ll need to outsource the job; or ask us to buy a new plate rolling machine.
Calculate Bending Capacity
The plate rolling operators should have little trouble estimating the necessary bending capacity.
Bending Length: The overall rolling capacity is determined by the physical length of the rolls. Minimum Diameter: The minimum diameter is the smallest diameter you desire to roll your material into. Pre-Bending Capacity: Pre-Bend is the initial bend a plate roll operator must make before actually rolling the material. Yield Strength: The yield strength is the strength of the material you are rolling, or better put, the strength of resistance to bending that the material has. Never try a bend before determining the required bending capacity and comparing it to the bending capacity provided.
Choose The Plate Rolling Machine
If your shop has just one Sheet Metal Rolling Machine, you can skip this step. If you have more than one plate roller, make sure the one you choose is the most appropriate for the task at hand.
The thickness that can roll is tied directly to the width of the plate is bending. For example, the largest plate rolling machine can bend up to 10-foot-wide material x 2½” thick A36 grade material. As the plate becomes smaller in width, it can bend thicker material. But to successfully bend on a plate rolling machine the width of the plate needs to be under the maximum capacity of the plate rolling machine.
As a rule, the smallest diameter can easily roll material down to 1.5X the upper roll diameter (with smaller diameters achievable in multiple passes).
Additionally, keep in mind that although all plate rolling machines are designed for a range of safety above their designated range, eventually it will damage the machine, and in some cases severely.
Read More: HOW TO DETERMINE THE BENDING CAPACITY OF THE PLATE ROLLER
Create A Plate Rolling Programme
The plate roller must be appropriately configured to make the bend regardless of whether it is manual or PLC or CNC. Even though manual programming may need some experimentation, CNC plate bending machines can typically be automated extremely rapidly.
Programming takes the second-longest amount of time during setup.
The fact that some operators lack the necessary training could be one factor in why programming takes so long. Operators devote a lot of time to learning how to use plate bending machines, but they rarely devote much effort to program development. Coding a CNC plate bending machine requires much less time than setting a manual model, but both mechanical and CNC systems require sufficient knowledge of the subject.
Now You Can Run The Parts
You are prepared to operate high-quality parts after the correct setup. Don’t count on everything being flawless though. A testing and evaluation process will be established by your supervisor for the components you are producing.