All Success Stories

LMG's electric roll upgrade

Zero Guesswork, Maximum Repeatability: How Leading Manufacturing Group Transformed Plate Bending with All-Electric Roll Technology

Website

leadingmanufacturing.com

Location

Canada

Industry

Storage Tanks , Oil & Gas and Nuclear

Related products

MCE e-POWER

The Challenge

High-Mix Demands, the Skilled Labor Gap, and the Pitfalls of Hydraulic Guesswork

For heavy-duty storage tank and pressure vessel fabricators, operating in a just-in-time manufacturing environment leaves no room for error. Steel plates must be rolled into perfect cylindrical segments everyday to feed fast-paced downstream assembly and welding lines.

Traditionally, this process relied on heavy hydraulic or hybrid plate rolls. These machines require operators with decades of intuitive, hands-on experience to manually adjust parameters, compensate for material spring-back, and perform tedious visual "sweep checks" using physical templates. In today's manufacturing landscape, finding operators with this specialized intuition is increasingly difficult. For job shops and specialized fabricators, relying on trial-and-error manual adjustments results in slower cycle times, costly material scrap, and an operational bottleneck on the shop floor.

Additionally, traditional hydraulic systems draw power continuously to keep the pumps pressurized, driving up energy costs and conflicting with modern corporate sustainability objectives.

The Solution

Davi MCE e-POWER Fully Electric Plate Bending Technology

To eliminate process variables and build a highly repeatable production workflow, Alberta-based Leading Manufacturing Group (LMG) upgraded its fleet with the Davi MCE e-POWER—the market's complete line of fully electric plate rolls. LMG selected an MCE model capable of bending plates up to 7/8 in. (22 mm) in thickness and 10 ft. (3,000 mm) in width.

Unlike hybrid systems that still rely on hydraulics for roll positioning, every single axis of the Davi MCE e-POWER is driven and controlled directly by electric servomotors and inverters. This fully electric architecture delivers a positioning accuracy of 0.05 in. (1.27 mm)—double the precision of typical standard hydraulic machines. To eliminate structural deflection and prevent unwanted crowning or camber during the rolling process, LMG's machine was also customized with an oversized top roll.

The Results

Eradicated the Skill Gap

The MCE e-POWER integrates with next-generation digital control systems, allowing younger operators to simply enter the part dimensions and let the machine execute the rolling program. This removes reliance on subjective operator intuition.

Significant Time and Labor Savings

Instead of resetting the machine for every plate and checking radii with manual templates, operators recall saved programs instantly. This drastically shortens cycle times.

Uncompromising Repeatability

Fabricating multi-segment tanks requiring up to nine plates to complete a single diameter is now seamless, with parts coming out perfectly to fit, every single time.

Unmatched Energy Efficiency

Because the electric servomotors only draw power when an axis is actively moving, the MCE e-POWER reduces overall energy consumption by up to 65% compared to standard hydraulic systems.

Minimal Maintenance

By completely eliminating the hydraulic power unit, the shop floor avoids issues with oil degradation, filter replacements, and piping leaks.

The Industrial Credibility: Proven Performance and Reliable Support

Within just two months of integrating the MCE e-POWER into their 7-day-a-week production cycle, LMG successfully optimized its high-mix output with zero downtime. This operational success is backed by Davi’s long-term service commitment: any technical or programming questions are resolved immediately via remote support from Davi's dedicated North American customer service hub in Texas]. LMG’s confidence in Davi technology has led them to expand their fleet further, ordering a custom 4 ft. (1,200 mm) all-electric plate roll to automate the fabrication of non-standard oval manways.