Professional Metal Rolling.
In order to effectively navigate complex sheet metal fabrication projects, you’ll often find the need to utilize various techniques to reach the finish line. And given that our team takes pride in tackling everything from routine repairs to multifaceted projects (and everything in-between), we’re always searching for the most effective and efficient tools to incorporate. Whether that be by way of reliable equipment, professional training or on-the-job experience, we’re consistently evaluating our processes to figure out if there are any potential improvements.
With sheet metal fabrication projects requiring different skills, let’s highlight one here and that is metal rolling. Here at Wil-Clair Sheet Metal, we utilize a digital 4-roller made by Waldemar Design & Machine LLC for all projects that require metal rolling. Since incorporating this machine into our fabrication processes, we’ve noticed a number of improvements, which we’ll highlight down below.
While you may find 3-rollers to be the more common of the two, there’s no denying that 4-rollers are becoming increasingly popular (and it’s easy to see why this is the case). Our team chose to utilize the 4-roller for a few different reasons. For one, it’s impossible to ignore the efficiency improvements these machines create (in comparison to the 3-roll alternative). With quicker bending times, we’re able to ensure timely services and better pricing for our customers.
Not to mention, given how our 4-roller is set-up, we can easily release the roll cylinder from the end of the roller thanks to the shorter dropdown and then pick up the completed metal sheet on a forklift before moving on to the next step. In the end, there’s no time wasted as the project goes from one stage to the next!
Without a doubt, one thing we prioritize on every single project that enters our shop is an in-depth focus on attention-to-detail and accuracy. As mentioned above, our team utilizes a “digital” 4-roller. In contrast to the traditional metal rollers that required more manual tasks, a digital roller is designed with the purpose of emphasizing accuracy on each roll. With their ability to produce digital read-outs, you’re essentially eliminating the possibility of any guesswork or human error from the equation.
The primary purpose of a metal roller is fairly straightforward and that is to roll/bend metal. Simple enough, right? As shown in the points above though, there is a little bit more to it than just that. The 4-roller’s ability to streamline this stage in the fabrication process is a definite attribute to consider. Add in the digital component and it’s easy to see the impact this will have on the accuracy of the project.
What if we told you bending metal can be a little more complex than just a regular end-to-end bend? With an attachment piece, we can perform cone rolling with this machine as well. By using the attachment, our team can have the machine gradually slip on the shorter end of the cone, while the other end continues bending like normal. Essentially, this shows how the machine can be utilized for more capabilities other than a standard end-to-end bend!
Lastly, for those curious, our 4-roller is more than capable of bending varying degrees of metal thicknesses, along with several types of materials (including stainless steel and aluminum). Simply put, it’s no surprise why it receives plenty of use in our metal fabrication shop.
