What is a Plate Roller?
At PTL Fabricators one of our specialized pieces of equipment is an industrial Plate roller. This impressive piece of equipment in our metal shop can roll sections of sheet metal into round or conical shapes. This process can be called several things, plate rolling, roll bending, or plate bending. Our machine uses multiple rollers to reshape the metal into various curves, arcs and cones. Plate rolling machines are used to manufacture rounded parts for oil and gas rigs, tunnel supports, boiler equipment, pressure vessels, and heat exchangers among many other things.
If you have project that requires a curved piece of sheet metal or plate, here is the process we can use. A machine with 4 roll benders works by pinching the metal between two rolls and curving it as it comes in contact with the third and fourth forming rolls. This curves the metal work-piece into a cylindrical form, where it is welded together to produce a cylinder. The upper roll is in a fixed position, the lower roll is adjustable to create the correct angle and proper curvature of the metal. These two forming rolls are known as the “pinch” rolls. The third and fourth rolls are known as forming rolls, are also adjustable. The rolls are adjusted according to the specs of each customer before each project to ensure each section is the proper size. By rolling a piece of sheet metal between these rollers, the metal is slowly bent into the exact shape needed for each project.
The plate roller can also be used to create a cone shaped piece of metal. In order to do that the metal plate must be cut to the proper size before it is bent. A sheet metal cone can be formed by pre-cutting a flat metal blank with the correct inner and outer radius to form the cone shape wanted. The blank is fed on one side so that the inner radius can be held against a cone rolling attachment. The inner radius is fed through the roller at a slower rate than the outer radius. This process can be a little more difficult and needs to be very exact so cones take a lot of time to fabricate.
If you have a project that has been designed by an industrial engineer to include cylinders of cones, PTL Fabricators in Clarksville TN has the equipment to make that happen. For more information on the services we provide or so consult with us on a project contact us today!