Shaping the Tank Industry

How AlumiTank Scaled to 8,000 Custom Part Numbers with Advanced Plate Bending

Shop Shapes Tank Industry with Advanced Plate Rolling Technology

Story overview

We manufacture standard and custom aluminum fuel tanks, mounting systems, and accessories, all proudly built in the USA. Whether it’s a direct replacement or a one-off custom job, we offer solutions that fit. Every product is built to meet FMCSA standards and quality tested before leaving our shop.

Website

https://www.alumitank.com/

Location

United States

Industry

Automotive

Eliminating Manual Setup for Multi-Shape Custom Aluminum Rolling

To keep pace with OEM requests and maintain its market-leading turnaround times, AlumiTank had to overcome the limits of traditional plate bending. Aluminum is a sensitive material with spring-back variations that make high-precision rolling highly dependent on operator skill.

Furthermore, the rising demand for specialty tanks—ranging from 450-gallon cylindrical fuel tanks for refrigerated railroad boxcars to complex, non-cylindrical shapes (D-shapes, rectangular, and trapezoidal fuel reservoirs)—required a technological leap. Relying on outdated manual machines meant long setup times, high scrap rates, and an inability to efficiently program multi-radius profiles. To open lucrative new accounts, AlumiTank needed a solution that could store vast libraries of programs, automate complex geometries, and deliver first-part-correct repeatability.

The Solution

4-Roll Precision Powered by iRoll eXtreme CNC Automation

AlumiTank resolved these production challenges by establishing a dedicated fleet of three Davi MCA 4-roll plate rolling machines, progressively integrating advanced software to automate the shop floor:

High-Volume Bending: The journey began with a Davi MCA 2517 (98 in. / 2,500 mm width capacity), which replaced a manual machine and rolled over 500,000 tanks. It has since been upgraded with the iRoll eXtreme control system to extend its operational life and precision.
Heavy-Capacity Rolling: To handle 450-gallon fuel tanks for refrigerated boxcars, AlumiTank added the Davi MCA 3022 (118 in. / 3,000 mm width capacity). This robust 4-roll machine easily rolls aluminum sheets up to 0.250 in. (6.35 mm) thick and 10 ft. (3.05 m) wide.
Complex Shape Automation: Their latest addition is a Davi MCA 2518/S16 equipped with the state-of-the-art iRoll eXtreme CNC. This machine is the cornerstone for rolling complex non-cylindrical shapes—such as rectangular, trapezoidal, and D-shaped tanks—for Class 6 and 7 trucks.

Davi’s 4-roll design provides absolute control by securely clamping the aluminum sheet between the top and bottom rolls throughout the entire bending cycle. The side rolls, actuated by Davi's exclusive planetary guides, deliver the necessary force to wrap the material tightly around the top roll.

The integration of the iRoll eXtreme CNC transformed their workflow. Featuring a high-resolution touchscreen and an expanded storage capacity of up to 9,999 programs (up from just 99 on older systems), operators can instantly recall exact parameters for any tank design. Supported by built-in material databases, the controller automatically adjusts for slight material variations, streamlining the process and saving time.

The Results

Immediate Productivity Gains

The intuitive touch-screen interface of the iRoll eXtreme allows operators to generate complex programs rapidly. This has dramatically cut programming times and eliminated test-run scrap.

Flawless Process Repeatability

Davi’s combination of rigid mechanical design and self-correcting software ensures that the 8,000th part is as dimensionally perfect as the first, guaranteeing consistent quality across high-volume OEM runs.

Seamless Market Diversification

Armed with advanced multi-radius programming, AlumiTank successfully expanded into new business lines, securing contracts with a major cement truck OEM for pressurized tanks and high-pressure compressed-air reservoirs.

For high-mix B2B metal fabricators, managing thousands of unique part numbers while maintaining strict repeatable accuracy is a major production bottleneck. In the custom tank manufacturing sector, this challenge is intensified by the shifting demand between traditional cylindrical vessels and complex, non-cylindrical shapes.

Based in Harvard, Illinois, AlumiTank is a premier aluminum fabrication specialist producing both pressurized and non-pressurized tanks. Serving demanding sectors—including heavy-duty Class 8 truck OEMs, railroads, mining, and military applications—the company manages an active catalog of over 8,000 custom part numbers, a figure that grows weekly. Turning these highly customized designs around with speed and structural integrity requires plate rolling technology that eliminates manual guesswork, minimizes setup times, and ensures extreme dimensional accuracy.

Over Half a Million Tanks and Counting
The durability and reliability of Davi technology are best demonstrated by AlumiTank's first Davi MCA 2517 plate roll. Working in a demanding industrial environment, this single machine reliably rolled over 500,000 tanks before receiving its recent control system upgrade—providing an exceptional return on investment and proving the extreme longevity of Davi's design and mechanical components.

Operational updates