4 points to understand the plate rolling machine

  • Jack Lu 

Principle of Plate Bending Machine

The plate rolling machine is a piece of equipment that may be used for a variety of purposes, including bending flat sheets of metal into cylindrical, curved, or other shaped workpieces. Utilizing the relative position change and rotational movement of the workpiece to create continuous plastic deformation of the sheet to get a workpiece of a preset shape following the concept of three points forming a circle is the roll bending method that will be rolling the metal plate. This process can be called several things, plate rolling, roll bending, or plate bending.

What are Plate Rolling Machine Used for?

plate roller
plate roller

Sheet rolling machines are used in the production of nearly all types of cylindrical products. Their application extends to a vast array of items including boiler industry, woodworking industry, metal structure industry, pressure vessels (Heavily used in the Oil and Gas Industries), home appliances, ships, wind power, military arsenal, aerospace, and automobile refit.

Since not all rolled metals are created equal, every project may require a specialized type of plate roll machine. Some of the standard metal rolling machines include:

  1. 2 Roll Machines (Ideal for thin, highly repetitive circular rolling)
  2. 3 Roll Initial Pinch (Most popular design due mostly to cost)
  3. 3 Roll Double Pinch (Affordable design for heavier bending applications)
  4. 3 Roll Variable Translating Geometry (Affordable Design for Variable Radii applications)
  5. 4 Roll Double Pinch (The most versatile of the designs)
  6. Vertical Rolls (Perfect when rolling very large Radii such as above-ground fuel and water storage tanks)
  7. Automated Cycle & Specialty Rolls (Spiral Duct Rolls, Corrugated Material Rolls, etc.)

The two roll plate machines are designed to bend flat sheet metals with a width of up to 8-12” and 12 Gage thickness. This makes them ideal for batch production of thin cylindrical items used in household appliances such as filter canisters.

Three roll sheet rolling machines can be further classified into asymmetrical, horizontal lower roller move types, and geometric variable plate rollers. Although all tools in this category operate using different principles, they are all used to bend medium to thick plates. The three-roll sheet bending machines are commonly used not only, in general, fabricating but also in chemical, boiler, shipbuilding, metal structure, petroleum, and machinery manufacturing industries.

The 4-roll plate bending machines are renowned for transforming flat sheet metal into spherical bodies, cone tube bodies, or other shapes. Four roll plate bending machines are more productive, precise, safer, versatile, and easier to operate than the rest. Once the material is set and pinched the two rolls on either side of the pinched roll do all the work without having to remove the plate and rotate it for pre-bending both ends. They can roll up to 8” thick plate steel and are most likely to be outfitted with CNC controllers for variable radii applications and complex shapes such as elliptic and polycentric workpieces. Their greatest advantage is that they can be used on a wide range of sheet metals and can also accept a high degree of automation. They can also be used to roll tube segments, ovals, rounded boxes, and other shapes.

The Plate Rolling Machine’s Design Principles

The plate rolling machine’s movement may be split into two categories: primary and auxiliary. When the plate rolling machine is in operation, its major motion is that of the top and lower rollers, which spin and bend the treated plate as they travel in tandem. The loading, unloading, and raising of the top roller, as well as the lifting and turning of the headstock, are examples of auxiliary movement.

Three roll sheet rolling machines can be further classified into asymmetrical, horizontal lower roller move types, and geometric variable plate rollers. Although all tools in this category operate using different principles, they are all used to bend medium to thick plates. The three-roll sheet bending machines are commonly used not only, in general, fabricating but also in chemical, boiler, shipbuilding, metal structure, petroleum, and machinery manufacturing industries.

The 4-roll plate bending machines are renowned for transforming flat sheet metal into spherical bodies, cone tube bodies, or other shapes. Four roll plate bending machines are more productive, precise, safer, versatile, and easier to operate than the rest. Once the material is set and pinched the two rolls on either side of the pinched roll do all the work without having to remove the plate and rotate it for pre-bending both ends. They can roll up to 8” thick plate steel and are most likely to be outfitted with CNC controllers for variable radii applications and complex shapes such as elliptic and polycentric workpieces. Their greatest advantage is that they can be used on a wide range of sheet metals and can also accept a high degree of automation. They can also be used to roll tube segments, ovals, rounded boxes, and other shapes.

Rolling Sheet Made Easy

About every cylindrical product is made with the help of a sheet rolling machine. Pressure vessels (often used in the oil and gas industries), household appliances, ships, wind power, military arsenals, aerospace, and vehicle refits are just a few of the many things they may be used for. Projects might require different plate roll machines depending on the specific rolled metals used. As a result, the plate roller market is likely to be crowded. The intricacy and originality of the orders placed by your customers should guide your choice of equipment.

Sources: “The Impact of a Plate Rolling Equipment in the World of Metals”, Sharp Welding and Crane Hire, Visited 12 Aug, https://sharpcranehire.com.au/the-impact-of-a-plate-rolling-equipment-in-the-world-of-metals/
“What is a Plate Roll Machine and What is it Used for?”, Southern Fabricating Machinery Sales, Inc., Visited 12 Aug,https://www.southernfabsales.com/blog/plate-roll-machine