Rolling Vs. Bending Custom Metal Plates: Which One's Right For You?

20 May 2022
 Categories: Construction & Contractors, Blog


Custom metal plate rolling is a popular process for manufacturers that sell materials that require custom shapes to fit their products. Metal plate rolling can be used to create steel, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, copper, and other sheet material. Rolled plates are used in the manufacture of a variety of products, including tooling, floor panels, and even jewelry.

What is Metal Plate Rolling?

Metal plate rolling is a form of rolling that uses specialized equipment to make products such as metal plates and coils. The process involves using a material feeder to move the workpiece into a rolling mill or the rollers themselves. The rollers rotate at a specific speed, which causes the material to be stretched and flattened while it travels through the machine.

Rolling vs. Bending

Rolling involves feeding a piece of steel into a machine that flattens it out into a flat sheet or strips. The rolls can be finished with various coatings like paint, powder coating, or anodizing, but they generally aren't as durable as more heavily coated products such as those made from aluminum or stainless steel.

Bending involves pressing the metal between two opposing dies to create a curved shape, like an oval or rectangle. This process can create intricate designs that cannot be made using rolling alone. It also produces sharper edges within the bend area than rolling does, which makes bending better suited for applications that require sharp corners and edges like belt buckles or key fobs than rolling would be.

The Benefits of Metal Plate Rolling

Rolling is a sheet metal forming process that uses a series of rolls to flatten or elongate sheets of metal. This can be done with one or two rolls at a time. Rolling is especially useful when you need large plates of metal that are thinner than the thickness available through standard stock sizes. The benefits of metal plate rolling include:

  • Low cost of entry: Metal plate rolling is relatively inexpensive compared to other methods of forming metal parts, such as die-casting or sand casting. It also doesn't require high-end equipment like laser cutting or water jet cutting (which would be necessary for complex shapes).
  • Convenience: Metal plate rolling can be done with minimal setup time and materials. You can design your own custom metal plates with just about any kind of material you want - from stainless steel to aluminum or even titanium!
  • Customization: Metal plate rolling allows you to customize virtually every aspect of your product - from size, thickness, and shape to color, texture, and more. This means you can make parts that fit perfectly together or match existing pieces from other manufacturers.
  • Versatility: Metal plate rolling allows you to create complex shapes easily without requiring expensive tools like lasers or water jets. The only limit is your imagination!

These are some of the benefits of metal plate rolling over other methods.

Drawbacks of Metal Plate Rolling

Rolling metal can be dangerous because it involves heavy machinery and sharp tools. The process also produces large amounts of waste that can be difficult to dispose of properly. The finished product also has a flat surface, so if you want to create an embossed metal plate with raised lettering or designs, rolling may not be the best option for you.

Whether you're new to metal plate rolling or trying to determine which process is right for your application, there's a lot to consider. However, metal plate rolling is an ideal solution for manufacturers that sell products that require custom shapes.


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