What Kind of Plate Bending Machine do you need?
Plate Bending Machine
The plate bending machine is a piece of equipment that is used to roll various types of sheet metal into round, semi-round, and round with varying radii or conical shapes. Plate Rolling Machines consisting of 2 to 4 roller sets press, engage, and form the material through force of electrically, mechanically, or hydraulically driven means. It involves the rolling of flat sheet metal to create cylindrical items such as pipes, tanker trailers, buckets, and pressure vessels.
The plate rolling machine boasts a working mechanism that allows it to bend flat sheet metal into a large arc or cylinder or even a square, an ellipse shape, and a multi-section arc. Utilizing a series of precise and strong hardened rolls powered by either hydraulic or mechanical methods, the rolls are brought into a pitching position with the material desired to be shaped. Once the material is firmly held between two of the rolls, a third and sometimes fourth roll is brought into position pushing the material causing the initial bend, or what is referred to as the pre-bend. The rolls then begin to rotate pulling material through the pinched rolls and past the pushing rolls forcing an arc into the material.
Types of Plate Bending Machines
When searching for a plate bending machine it’s important to know the type of plate rolls available. Typically, plate bending rolls come in two different types: single and double-pinch. However, in terms of style and geometry:
- 2 Roll Bending Machines (Ideal for thin, highly repetitive circular rolling such as Food Cans)
- 3 Roll Initial Pinch (Most popular design due mostly to cost)
- 3 Roll Double Pinch (Affordable design for heavier bending applications)
- 3 Roll Variable Translating Geometry (Affordable Design for Variable Radii applications)
- 4 Roll Double Pinch (The most versatile of the designs)
- Vertical Rolls (Perfect when rolling very large Radii such as above-ground fuel and water storage tanks)
- Automated Cycle & Specialty Rolls (Spiral Duct Rolls, Corrugated Material Rolls, etc.)
3 Important Things Must Know
When deciding which equipment to buy, it is crucial to match the plate roller’s style to its application. So, besides knowing the type or style of the plate bending machine you want, you need to consider other things.
Material Type
The material of the sheet to be rolled is a crucial factor that will help determine the design of the rolling plate machine you choose. With the strength of today’s steel becoming much higher than ever, the steel plate rolling machine you select should also be able to produce high levels of pressure for it to yield the desired results. As such, there are essential factors that manufacturers need to consider when purchasing a metal sheet roller. These include the yield strength, temper brittleness of the metal, and the use of the sheet. This is essential, primarily due to the transformation of the smelting industry over the last decades.
The diameter and thickness of the plate for rolling
Essentially, the smaller the diameter of the roll, the more pressure you’ll need and thus the more yield in the rolls you will have. If you want to roll a thick plate with a small diameter, you should pay attention to how the upper roll and how the structure of the plate rolling machine is positioned. This is because these are the two crucial elements that affect the size of the opening and its quality. Theoretically, a plate rolling machine can roll material to a diameter of 1.5X the top roll diameter and in some applications even down to 1.3X However this is entirely dependent on the material itself and the capacity of the plate rolling machine you are using.
Horizontal and vertical support forces
The support you offer to your metal sheet roller will also determine how effective your rolling processes will be, and this is considered in terms of vertical or horizontal forces. When you choose a plate roll machine that has adequate support, both side supports and overhead supports it will reduce the workload and save you some valuable labor costs. For instance, when you’re rolling a cylindrical product with a diameter that is 200 times the thickness of the plate, its weight helps it to be bent to the desired size. Therefore overhead support is required. If there is no adequate support, the ideal diameter can’t be achieved.