RS Machinery Group

CNC and other technology advancements in roll forming

Experienced operators are crucial in delivering good quality roll forming work. The challenge is that not a lot of plants have field experts specifically for roll forming. That’s why in a lot of plants, this job is left to press brake workers or operators from other departments. There isn’t unknown also, the practice of circulating plate roll bending experts in several local workshops.

On the other, to put a stop to this, training takes time and may cost a lot for the position you are at. Fortunately, there is a solution that can greatly help shop floor professionals create complex tasks and flawless works without many years of rolling experience under their belt. The alternative is CNC plate rolling. In this article, we are going to discuss the benefits and advantages of new technologies in plate rolling production performance.


CNC and manufacturing

Since CNC and NC controllers were introduced in the manufacturing world almost four decades ago, every single process started shapeshifting, creating a more sophisticated industry. Metal fabrication experienced the first wave of digitalization and automation, fuelled by continuous inventions that would take us to the great Industry 4.0 revolution. Robotics, safety, material managing and many other processes have benefited from this, causing every link of the production chain to power up.

Even though plate rolling has not witnessed many advancements technology-wise in comparison with laser cutting machines or other manufacturing machinery, plants notice obvious results in output speed and performance. Plate rolling machines can now produce a series of one variety of pieces in minutes, with the utmost precision. This is a great achievement considering that roll forming operators had to do the measuring, handling, positioning and other tasks manually.


CNC in two-roll and three-roll plate bending machines

Two-roll plate bending machines are the obvious choice for quick deadlines, low variety, and light metal forming. Most two-roll bending machines have an NC incorporated as a software operator. Why is that? Because two-roll plate bending machines can perform just fine with it. Investing for a CNC in a plate rolling machine of the sort is almost not needed.

The same thing goes for three-roll plate bending. Their design makes the CNC and single/double pinch roller combination, not a good one. This happens because they are not ideal for every application that CNC controllers are best at. So the best pair is a four-roll plate bending machine with CNC technology.


CNC and four-roll plate bending machines

CNC controllers help with the way a material must move in the machine through the rolling process. For example, pre-bending in a three-roll bending machine works with the machine clamping, releasing, and clamping the material once again. When the plate moves, there is the risk to change its position. A four-roll bending machine pinches the material during the entire forming process, making the CNC easier to control and improve the process. Before starting, operators implement the right program developed for a certain process, add the required information (material length, thickness, type, file importation, etc), and the machine begins work.

CNC and the workpiece

It is true that the best results happen when operators know and understand the material they are going to feed into the machine (for more read our article “Plate rolling tips for operators”). Rolling is highly affected by the specifications of the material and even from the way the workpiece was processed before arriving at the roll forming machine. Not being aware of these variables can cause distortions, imperfections, material overlaps, etc. Operators must be on the lookout also for other irregularities, any kind of feature that might have an effect in changing the desired result. CNC software in this case can help this. After passing a relatively high number of materials in the machine, the CNC is then able to create a “profile” of materials and start to recognize their characteristics.

CNC and cone manufacturing

From all the operations that CNC has helped to make easier, rolling a cone has still room for improvement. CNC software is excellent at digesting data and creating precise, identical products in the line. Since cones have two different asymmetrical ends, it has two different sets of specifications, for the same workpiece. For good results, the material must slide on the rolls to achieve the cone attachment slowly and form. But if the material’s true position is lost, you can end up with inconsistencies. Except for placement, other factors like tilting, plate temperature, foreign material on the plate (like dirt or slug from the previous cutting processes), can all compromise the quality of the cone forming.

Productivity boost

Today’s plate rolling machines now can become part of larger automated systems. This means incorporating feed systems, combination cut-to-length and feed systems, part loading, part ejection, support devices, even robotic part handling and part welding. All this offers operators boosted productivity through great resources. Furthermore, when programming manually, camera systems can help operators position the plate as close as possible to the centre distance between the top and middle-bottom roll. Another stunning feature is the possibility that service providers have now to give unlimited customer support, by accessing the control remotely to provide further help. Besides CNC, let’s look at some other technological advancements in the roll forming world.

CAD/CAM

The roll forming design process involves three engineering elements:

  • geometry
  • length
  • type of material
With the help of CAD (Computer-aided Design) and CAM (Computer-aided Manufacturing) operators can now create designs, easily project their future form, and finally transfer them to CNC programming to undergo the real working process. Roll forming uses CAD/CAM technology to reduce complex structures into a single, one-component piece. Then again, single component pieces can now be combined to form a complex shape. Another benefit is that CAD programming can easily convert to roll forming long parts that have been stamped or press braked.

Programmable Logic Controller

A PLC is very similar to a Computer Numerical Controlled machine. PLC is a specialized computer control system designed to control machines and their processes, monitoring a device to make continuous adjustments. The operator enters the commands for the task at hand just like in a CNC.

Key takeaways

  • CNC rolling leaves no bend lines, distortions, imperfections, producing a better-looking product.
  •  CNC makes operation timelines faster than ever.
  • CNC gives a chance to plate rolling beginners to deliver good products, without having years of rolling experience.
  • Operating a CNC is proved to help workers learn more about roll forming during the process.
  • CNC can ultimately help plants reduce costs/part.
 

RS Machinery has great experience in roll forming machinery and new technologies. If you want to learn more, have a look at our product catalogue, request a meeting with our team, feel free to contact us anytime.

 

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