In manufacturing, aerospace, construction, and other sectors, many pieces of equipment require parts made with metal plate rolling. This process involves forming curved and cylindrical shapes with metal plates using certain rolling techniques.
Learn more about how metal plate rolling works, some of the specific methods that fabricators use, their various industry applications, and the benefits of working with Fabrication Services, Inc. for top-quality plate-rolled metal components.
What Is Metal Plate Rolling?
Metal plate rolling is one of the most commonly used metal fabrication processes for many industries and applications. It uses plate rolling equipment to form cylindrical or curved metal shapes from flat metal sheets. Machinery applies force to effectively bend the metal sheets until they form the desired shape, with the ability to precisely roll materials as needed with reliable precision and accuracy using the right equipment.
Throughout the plate rolling process, equipment permanently bends metal workpieces without causing any fractures, feeding the plate through a series of rollers, where the pressure forces the metal to bend at a designated curvature. The precise curvature depends on certain factors, including the specific type of metal, the metal’s thickness, and the roller diameter.
Today, certain advancements in plate roll technology have made this process more efficient and reliable than ever.
Advanced Plate Rolling Techniques
Using the latest plate roll technology, advanced plate rolling processes could use one of the following main techniques:
Pitch Roll Bending
This is the most popular method in metal fabrication. A metal plate feeds into a machine with three rollers that use pressure to gradually bend the plate into a cylinder. Two of the rollers align vertically to “grip” the workpiece and feed it through the machine, while a third roll supplements these rollers both behind and below them, bending the plate into the end design.
This process works for many thinner materials, such as titanium, steel, and aluminum.
Four-Roll Bending
If you require a more advanced solution for thicker plates or complex geometries, you may choose four-roll plate rolling, which uses an additional roller to work with the traditional three. The plate feeds into two middle rollers at the top and bottom, while two side rollers provide resistance to the bottom of the plate to form the desired shape.
This process is more efficient than pitch roll bending, as the use of four rollers in a diamond shape requires less material handling while enabling the machine to form more complex shapes at thicker gauges.
Variable Geometry Plate Rolling
A third option is variable geometry plate rolling. Using three rolls that form a pyramidal shape, these roller systems can shape metal sheets into cylinders, cones, and elliptical forms. It works with materials up to six inches thick, including aluminum, stainless steel, and titanium.
This process works best for applications requiring more complex shapes with superior precision and efficiency.
Advanced Plate Rolling Applications
There are plenty of applications for advanced plate rolling across industries, such as:
- Ductwork, piping, and process system parts
- Industrial components like pressure vessels and tanks
- Transportation hardware, support frames, and chassis components
- Infrastructural components for renewable energy, oil and gas, and other energy systems
- Customized structural arches and curved components
Contact Fabrication Services, Inc. to Learn More
Want to take advantage of innovative plate roll technology for your application? Fabrication Services, Inc. provides some of the most reliable solutions available. We offer excellent versatility to meet nearly any material needs, with the ability to support some of the most complex part geometries, from roll sheets and tubes to plates and more.
Additionally, our engineering guidance helps us meet some of the tightest tolerances and manufacture consistently top-quality products from raw materials. Further backing each solution is our combination of stringent quality control standards, dedicated project management experts, and overall dependable delivery programs. We also offer other fabrication services to meet your needs, including custom steel fabrication and metal forming.
Contact us to connect with a member of our team and discuss your needs, or request a quote for a custom solution.
