Clone of Products and Technologies

Cold rolling

Rolling is a process which reduces the thickness of a metal strip through crushing. The material passes through 2 rotating rollers, which apply a compression force to the material. The compression ratio is known as the work hardening rate.

Rolling:

• Reduces the thickness
• Increases the hardness and mechanical strength of the material
• Improves or deteriorates the surface condition, surface roughness (Ra, Rz)
• During rolling, the strip width is practically unaffected
• The material's grains extend parallel to the direction of rolling

Shearing is the operation which defines the final width of the strip. Using the rotary blade, the rolled strip is cut into several narrow widths.

Shearing:

• Alters the strip width
• Causes shape defects (flatness, edgewise curvature, contour, etc.)
• Generates burrs on the edges
   

Straightening involves elongation of the metal strip, used to correct shape defects. The strip passes through multiple overlapping rotating rollers. The overlap rate is closely related to the elongation applied to the strip. 

Straightening:

• Is plastic deformation generating stresses inside the material
• Corrects shearing and rolling defects, such as flatness, edgewise curvature, contour and cross bow 
• May cause deterioration in the surface condition (orange peel) 
   

There are 2 main types of heat treatment: annealing treatments and hardening treatments.
 
Annealing restores the material to as soft a condition as possible (least work hardened). 

In hardening, heat input is used to harden the material. Depending on the alloys, we apply quench hardening or ageing hardening (or precipitation hardening). Quench hardening requires a high heat input followed by very rapid cooling (within a few seconds). 

Ageing hardening uses a low heat input but over a very long time (several hours).

In both these hardening scenarios, the aim is to generate stresses inside the material stretching the atomic lattice, and their ease of movement. 

 
Heat treatments:

• Alter the hardness and mechanical characteristics of the alloy
• Alter the grain size of the material
• Alter the structure of the various alloy phases
• Generate surface oxidation
• May deteriorate the surface condition of the strip 
   

Our measurement laboratory enables us to analyse the product quality at every step of the manufacturing cycle.

For example:

• Metallographic analysis (structure, phases and grain size)
• Measuring mechanical characteristics via tensile tests
• Vickers hardness measurement
• Surface roughness measurement
• Surface defects and inclusions analysis via microscope
• Precise measurement of camber via laser technology

We are working in collaboration with other laboratories for analyses of chemical compositions of the alloys and counter-analyses.  

In the case of investigation requests for improvement purposes, the analyses are generally 100% FREE