Metal Straightening Machine

Straightening machine is a heavy equipment employed in metal working industries for the purpose of straightening different type so metal objects. These machines are used to flatten or straighten curved metal products like h-beams, rolled beams, metal scrap, metal bars, metal stud, wire rod, metal strips, coiled metal tubes, round bar and many other types of metallic materials. These metal straightening machines have become very important tool in metal processing industry world wide and are used to straighten the uneven or wavy shapes of different metals.

A Straightening machine consists of two or three large rollers which are active pressure rollers. These are supported on a shaft and driven by a motor to rotate in the same direction. Between the work rollers there is a space where several smaller auxiliary pressure rollers are mounted. The position of these small auxiliary pressure rollers can be adjusted simultaneously or separately forward or backward. The position of the auxiliary rollers is used to achieve the desired compression of the upper work roller on the product being processed. The number of auxiliary rollers, their position and the size of the gap between them can be varied to obtain the correct compression and consequently straightening of the product.

The capacity of a straightener is based on the capability to level an extensive range of material thicknesses and widths within a given maximum length. To address this issue, most straighteners are equipped with one or more 'back-up' rollers. The function of these 'back-up' rollers is to support the work rollers across the broadest possible range of straightening applications. Back-up rollers can be positioned in one, two or more places, depending on the maximum width of the straightener and the maximum height of the work rollers.

In general, it is very difficult to provide a single straightener that can effectively meet the needs of all metal straightening applications. This is because the specific material characteristics (e.g., yield points and material thicknesses) and the application requirements (e.g., line speed and flatness) tend to vary widely from one application to the next. As a result, straightener specifications typically include a range of recommended roller depth settings that can be set up for a particular material thickness.

This method of calibration establishes the amount of work roller penetration that is required to back bend the material to a flat condition. Once the optimum depth setting is established for a particular material, it is critical that the rollers are consistently returned to this position every time the straightener runs. Excessive or insufficient roller penetration can lead to poor straightener efficiency, excessive slippage of the work material across the machine and unnecessary strain on the machine drive components. Hence, most straighteners are provided with a simple calibrated scale and pointer combination to assist in the establishing of optimum roller penetration. This system can also be used to verify the optimum straightener roll penetration during periodic maintenance inspections of the machine.