Hydraulic plate bending machines is a hydraulic machine that is used for bending metals like steel, copper, aluminium, and iron for catering industrial fabrication. Their primary function is bending and rolling metals into cylindrical, conical or even curved shapes through controlled hydraulic force.
The hydraulic cylinders in these machines power the bending rollers, allowing for uniform and precise pressure on the entire plate surface evenly.
Many companies use this equipment when producing products formed from mild steel, stainless steel, aluminum and high tensile material such as shipbuilding, pressure vessel manufacturing, wind energy, general construction and other heavy engineering applications.
Using a hydraulic plate bending machine allows users to apply precise amounts of pressure accurately on very thick steel plates. Hydraulic machines helps in reducing the manual efforts in bending metallic plates in less time.
How does a hydraulic plate bending machine work?
In order to apply precise stress to the shaped fabric, hydraulic cylinders apply pressure to the axes of rotation. The roller presses on the fabric as it goes through the process of gradual bending, creating the final form.
The plate enters the machine between the upper and lower rolls with the lateral/hydraulic rolls being able to move vertically, applying pressure upward or downward to create curvature. The rolling process allows the plate to be subjected to many cycles of bending and as such provides the desired radius and shape of the bend. The use of hydraulic pressure creates an even and consistent distribution of force on the workpiece surface. This creates an even application of force during the entire bend process, which allows an operator to accurately bend thick/heavy plates with minimal deformation and consistent repeatability.
What are common applications of hydraulic plate bending machines?
Hydraulic plate bending machines can accurately fabricate metal plates into many different geometrical shapes (curves and cylinders) in the heavy fabrication manufacturing sector. A large number of manufacturers in the industry utilize this type of equipment to create numerous products, such as pressure vessels that store liquids and gases at high temperatures and pressures as well as heat exchangers that carry heat from one fluid to another.
Other common end products are pipelines, sections for wind towers, boat hulls, silos, and other structural components. Almost exclusively used by the Power Generation Industry, Oil and Gas Industry, Infrastructure Projects (i.e., Bridges), as well as Metal Fabrication Shops for producing Curved Shells, Curved Cones and Curved Panels out of Metal Materials (i.e. Mild Steel, Stainless Steel and High Strength Alloys).
Can stainless steel plates be bent using hydraulic plate bending machines?
To generate repeatable and accurate bends in stainless steel, a hydraulic plate bender provides the necessary and sufficient amount of force required through the use of the correct roll configurations and hydraulic pressure setting. In addition to this, when bending stainless steel, it is important to remember that due to the nature of stainless steel, there will be a large amount of springback compared to bending mild steel. Therefore, the amount of springback should be considered when working with stainless steel.
The excellent performance of a hydraulic plate bender in producing parts from stainless steel is why these types of machine tools are used extensively to manufacture stainless steel components for many different applications all of which are dependent on the ability to resist corrosion and accurately create curvature in the component. Some such components include pressure vessels, tanks, pipelines, and architectural components.
Conclusion
To summarise, Hydraulic Plate Bending Machines plays important role in Metal Fabrication today. Using Hydraulics, they can provide accurate and precision bending of Metals, including Stainless Steel and high-strength alloys, consistently and effectively. This is achieved by applying evenly distributed force, allowing for numerous batches of accurate and repeatable results to be produced in all Heavy Duty Applications, from Shipbuilding, Energy, Construction through to Pressure Vessel Manufacturing, among many others. Hydraulic plate bending machines allow for the production of thick, wide and unique shapes as well as create high levels of accuracy and repeatability which increase productivity, quality and flexibility in Industrial Bending Applications.
