The Art of Plate Rolling

Plate rolling is used to form large, curved sections for various applications, such as storage tanks, pressure vessels, and architectural structures. We start with a thick, flat plate of steel and gradually feed it through these massive roller machines. As the plate goes between the rollers, we're applying incredible pressure to slowly curve and bend that rigid piece of metal into a smooth, cylindrical shape. 

‍

It's an intricate process that requires a deft touch. We've got to keep adjusting the roller settings just right to control the radius of that curve. Go too tight and you risk crinkling or deforming the plate. But get it just perfect and you end up with a beautifully rounded metal cylinder, ready for fabricating storage tanks, pressure vessels, you name it.

‍

Working with Carbon Steel

A lot of the plate rolling we do here in Houston involves good old carbon steel. It's the workhorse material for so many industrial and construction projects across the energy, petrochemical and manufacturing sectors that power this city.

‍

Carbon steel is tough and cheap, which makes it ideal for heavy duty stuff like oil tanks, chemical vessels, even structural components for bridges and buildings. But it does have a tendency to be a bit brittle, especially when we're bending and shaping it.

‍

That's why on bigger rolling jobs with carbon steel plate, we'll actually preheat the metal first using specialized ovens or torches. Heating it up gives the steel more malleability so it doesn't crack or deform as badly when we're forcing it to bend around the roller curves.

‍

The Challenges of Stainless Steel

Now stainless steel is a whole different beast when it comes to rolling and bending. You see it used a lot in food processing plants, chemical refineries, architectural features, anywhere you need a heavy plate that can withstand harsh conditions.

‍

But that strength is also what makes stainless such a monster to roll and bend. It's got incredibly high tensile strength and works hardens like you wouldn't believe. We're talking about using massively powerful roller machines with huge pressure capacities to gradually curve and shape stainless plate without warping, cracking or damaging it.

‍

Preheating is also key for prepping the stainless plates to accept those tight rolling radiuses. Sometimes we're heating these thick plates upwards of 2000°F before ever sending them through the rollers. It's a precise process, but that's what it takes to get stainless properly curved and bent.

‍

The Metal Plate Bending Process

In addition to rolling plates into cylinders, we stay busy bending them into various angled shapes as well. That's another skilled trade that Houston's fabricators have on lock. Using huge hydraulic press brakes, we can put incredibly acute bends and angles into both carbon and stainless steel plates.

‍

It's all about setting up the right plate thickness, die angles, tonnage calibrations on those brake machines to get the perfect bend radius without compromising the metal's integrity. Lots of math, lots of experience needed to bend heavy plate successfully.

‍

Whether you need tank shells rolled, metal tubes bent, structural components formed, Houston's metal craftsmen at Apache Steel Works have been offering metal plate rolling and bending.

‍