All-Rolls-Drive
A technology where every roll is equipped with its own independent motor and gearbox, ensuring optimum torque transmission, synchronized speeds, and a minimized risk of material slippage.
Rolling and Forming Glossary.
Need a specific definition of a rolling or forming term? This page has been created for you!
A
ASME Tolerances
A standardized set of manufacturing and safety compliance guidelines governing the maximum allowable dimensional deviations for pressure vessels, boilers, and related formed shells.
Apple-Shape Geometry
A specific, non-circular geometry programmed into a plate roll to pre-compensate for structural stresses and material behavior, optimizing the final roundness during the re-rolling phase.
Angle Rolling
The process of passing structural profiles—such as beams, pipes, channels, or angles—through driven rolls to bend them into curved shapes, rings, or spirals.
AI-Vision
An intelligent, laser-based vision system that projects thousands of measurement points across a plate's surface to automatically read, analyze, and correct forming radii in real time without operator intervention.
B
Bending Power
The maximum mechanical or hydraulic force a rolling machine can exert on a workpiece to achieve the desired deformation and target radius.
Braces
Diagonal structural pipes or profiles used within jacket foundations to distribute environmental loads evenly across offshore assemblies.
Bottom Roll
The lower roll (or rolls) in a forming machine that clamps the plate or structural section against the top roll to ensure controlled material feeding.
Bumping Mode
A incremental, step-by-step forming method—similar to a press-brake operation—used to geometrically shape cones and complex profiles using precise roll positioning.
C
Cone Bending
The specialized process of rolling a sheet metal plate into a tapered, conical shape by tilting the machine rolls and using dedicated side guides.
Cambering
The process of introducing a slight curve or arch into a structural beam or plate to offset future deflections caused by operational loads.
Circumference Measurement
A digital tool used to verify the exact outer or inner perimeter of a rolled shell, providing critical data for precise edge-to-edge alignment in subsequent assembly lines.
Clamping Pressure
The hydraulic or electric force applied by the rolls to securely pinch a metal sheet, preventing movement or slippage during the bending process.
Crowning
A deliberate, slightly barrel-shaped profile machined into the center of a roll to compensate for mechanical deflections under heavy load, ensuring uniform pressure distribution.
D
DXF Import
A software function that allows CAD files to be uploaded directly into a machine's CNC system, automatically converting drawing lines into functional bending programs.
Double Pinch
A machine configuration featuring two moving side rolls that allow for the pre-bending of both the leading and trailing edges of a plate without removing it from the machine.
Deflection
The temporary structural bending or displacement that machine rolls and frames undergo when subjected to high forming forces during operation.
E
Extended Feeding System
An automated material handling arrangement equipped with smart manipulators that continuously rotate, position, and align heavy plates for high-volume cylindrical and conical rolling.
Electric Plate Roll
A next-generation forming machine powered entirely by electric servomotors and actuators, eliminating hydraulic oil while delivering high precision and lower energy consumption.
Elongation
The percentage of physical stretch or increase in length that occurs on the outer surface of a metal section as it undergoes tensile stress during bending.
F
Flat End
The straight, unbent section left at the leading and trailing edges of a plate because the material cannot reach the exact tangent point between the rolls.
Forming Radius
The targeted radius of curvature generated on a workpiece during the bending process, measured either internally or externally.
Forged Yoke
A heavy-duty, one-piece structural component machined without welds that secures the top roll axis, minimizing deflections under extreme loads.
G
Gantry Loader
A rail-mounted overhead crane system integrated into a rolling line to automatically lift, transport, and position raw plates onto the feeding table.
Geometrical Symmetry
A balanced machine design where structural frames, cylinders, and roll alignments are mirrored perfectly on both sides to distribute operational loads evenly.
H
Hydraulic Symmetry
An engineering configuration where identical hydraulic cylinders push or pull with equal mass flow and pressure from both ends of the machine, keeping loads balanced without constant electronic adjustment.
Horizontal Shaft Configuration
An angle roll setup where the shafts sit parallel to the workshop floor, ideal for handling smaller, lighter structural profiles.
I
Interaxis Distance
The adjustable horizontal spacing between the two lower side rolls of a variable-axis machine, which can be widened to maximize leverage for thick plates.
iCone Software
A dedicated control program that automatically tracks and adjusts the positions of pushers and hydro-guides during the continuous forming of complex cones.
Infeed Conveyor
A motorized roller table positioned at the entrance of a machine to support, square, and safely feed raw metal plates into the rolling system.
J
Jacket Foundation
A complex, steel lattice offshore mooring structure composed of rolled legs, nodes, and braces, designed to secure wind turbines to the seabed.
Joint Angle
The calculated angular orientation of a plate's pre-beveled edges, prepared to ensure proper penetration and weld deposition during subsequent seam welding.
K
L
Linear Guides
Straight, vertical tracks along which the side roll housings travel to apply direct vertical force to the plate being formed.
Longseam Welding
The automated or manual process of executing a longitudinal weld joint to close a rolled plate shell into a complete, high-strength cylinder.
M
Material Library
A built-in database within a CNC system containing specific mechanical properties—such as yield strength and thickness tolerances—used to calculate accurate bending programs.
MDI Mode (Manual Data Input)
An operational control setting where an operator manually enters specific coordinate values or axis steps into the console for immediate execution.
Monopile
A massive, heavy-gauge steel foundation cylinder driven into the seabed to anchor offshore wind turbines, typically formed from wide and thick plates.
Multi-pass Bending
A rolling method where a workpiece is progressively deformed through several consecutive passes to achieve tight diameters or handle high-yield alloys safely.
Multi-radius Shapes
Complex workpieces that incorporate multiple distinct radii of curvature within a single, continuous profile or shell.
N
Nodes
Crucial heavy-walled structural connection points where braces intersect the primary legs of a jacket foundation, requiring high geometric precision.
Neutral Axis
The theoretical plane inside a plate or profile during bending where the material experiences zero stress—neither in compression on the inside nor tension on the outside.
O
OPC-UA Connectivity
An open industrial communications protocol that allows a plate roll's control system to exchange real-time production and maintenance data directly with local factory networks and MES software.
Outfeed Conveyor
A motorized handling table designed to support, balance, and safely transport completed cylinders or structural shapes away from the machine.
P
Pre-bending
The critical preliminary step in plate rolling where the leading and trailing edges of a sheet are bent to the target radius before continuous rolling begins, minimizing the flat end.
Planetary Guides
A roll actuation system where the side rolls travel along a curved, pivoting path around a central point, acting as a force multiplier to form tight diameters.
Parallelism
The precise geometric alignment where the axes of the machine rolls remain perfectly equidistant across their entire length to prevent twisting or spiraling of the workpiece.
Q
R
Re-rolling
The final calibration operation where a previously welded or distorted shell is passed back through the machine rolls to eliminate flat ends and achieve perfect roundness.
Repeatability
The ability of a manufacturing system to duplicate identical dimensions, geometries, and cycle times across large production batches with minimal deviation.
Radius Correction
A real-time control adjustment made to a CNC program to compensate for variance in material batches or spring-back, ensuring the final workpiece matches design values.
S
Servo-Tronic System
A patented dual control mechanism that maintains roll parallelism using independent pumping groups to manage oil pressure and mass flow, backed by electro-valves for precise fine-tuning.
Spring-back
The natural tendency of a metal plate or profile to partially return toward its original flat shape after the forming force is released, due to elastic recovery.
Smart Line
A high-efficiency wind tower production configuration featuring continuous plate feeding and automatic manipulation to form tapered cones rapidly and safely.
Shell
A single, complete cylindrical or conical section produced by rolling a metal plate, ready to be joined with other sections.
T
Tangent Point
The exact contact line where the machine rolls grip the plate and apply maximum bending stress, determining the absolute limit of the pre-bending zone.
Torque Transmission
The mechanical transfer of rotational power from hydraulic or electric motors through gearboxes to the rolls, driving the plate forward under heavy load.
Three-Dimensional Bending
A complex forming process where structural profiles are simultaneously bent into a radius while a CNC unit rotates the section along its axis to create helical or 3D geometries.
Tilting Rolls
The capability to independently lower or raise one end of the machine rolls, allowing for the alignment of the tangency points required to form conical shapes.
U
Universal Rolls
A versatile, adjustable roll set capable of forming a wide variety of standard profiles—such as flats, squares, rounds, angles, channels, and beams—without changing tools.
Ultimate Tensile Strength
The maximum amount of tensile stress a material can withstand before structural failure or breaking occurs.
V
Variable Axis
A 3-roll machine design where the top roll moves vertically to apply pressing force while both side rolls move horizontally, allowing for highly flexible geometry adjustments.
Vertical Rolling
A heavy fabrication process where plates are positioned and rolled perpendicular to the shop floor, preventing large, thin-walled shells from collapsing under their own weight.
W
Wind Energy Line
A specialized, automated manufacturing setup integrating heavy-duty plate rolls, alignment accessories, and feeding systems optimized for fabricating wind tower sections.
Workpiece Tolerances
The permissible limits of variation in a finished component's dimensions, including radius accuracy, straightness, ovality, and edge alignment.