Corrugated sheets have been actively used in construction and in many other areas for several decades. This reliable material, the production of which requires a special machine for the production of corrugated sheets, is used as the main element of enclosing structures, it covers the roofs of building structures, cladding walls, and also solves a whole list of other problems associated with both capital and private construction.
Corrugated sheets are produced by cold rolling
The production of profiled sheets can be carried out using both mechanized and manual equipment, which, if desired, can be made with your own hands. Knowing all the nuances of such production, you can organize a profitable business for the production of profiled sheets that are in demand on the market or produce such material for your own needs at minimal cost.
Properties of corrugated sheets
Corrugated sheeting, which is available in several main varieties on the modern market, can be made from various materials. However, the main raw material for the production of corrugated sheets is cold-rolled sheet steel, on the surface of which a thin layer of zinc is applied. To give a steel sheet the required configuration, a rolling method is used, which can be done in a hot or cold state. The production of corrugated sheets, in which the steel sheet is preliminarily subjected to significant heating, is carried out only by large metallurgical plants. At home or on the scale of a small manufacturing enterprise, corrugated sheets are produced by cold rolling.
Main types of profiled sheets
Depending on the conditions of further use and the loads that the corrugated sheet will experience, steel of various thicknesses can be used for its manufacture. Instead of a zinc coating, a layer of paint or other material can be applied to the surface of the corrugated sheet, which can provide reliable protection of the metal sheet from the negative influence of the external environment. Considering the fact that structures made from corrugated sheets are used primarily outdoors, the presence of a coating that protects them from intense wear due to corrosion makes it possible to provide such material with the required durability.
The conditions in which equipment for the production of corrugated sheets is operated also affect the quality of the finished product. Thus, it is advisable to install both a manual machine used for the production of corrugated sheets and an automated line for the production of such material in a dry and heated room in which sudden changes in temperature are not observed. The conditions in which the raw materials for the production of profiled sheets - sheet steel rolls - are stored also play a role. The room in which such storage is carried out must also be dry and heated.
Automatic and manual machines for the production of profiled sheets
The main difference between corrugated sheets and other similar metal sheets is that the corrugation has a trapezoidal shape. At first glance, it may seem that it is impossible to make a machine for the production of such material yourself, but this is not so.
Production lines of such material represent a whole complex of mechanisms, each of which performs its own functions.
Thus, even the simplest automatic line for the production of profiled sheets consists of:
- unwinder of rolls of metal sheets;
- rolling mill, where the material is actually formed;
- scissors that look like a guillotine;
- receiving device.
Production line for the production of profiled sheets
It is clear that it is unrealistic to make such an automatic line on your own. But it’s quite possible to make a manual machine that can bend workpieces at the required angle so that you get a sheet of corrugated sheets.
It should be taken into account that a home manual machine will not be able to produce profiled sheets that are too thick - the maximum thickness of the workpiece is about 5 mm.
Types of equipment for the production of corrugated sheets
Any equipment for the production of corrugated sheets operates according to a standard scheme. To give it the required configuration, a flat steel sheet is driven through a system of rollers equipped with a machine used for the production of corrugated sheets. As a result of this technological operation, the flat steel sheet is deformed, acquiring the required geometric shape.
The dimensions and shape of the rolls depend on the configuration of the profiled sheet produced on the machine
As mentioned above, the main raw material from which profiled sheets are made is sheet steel supplied from manufacturing plants in rolls. If the steel sheet rolled into such a roll has a small thickness, then unfolding it will not be a big problem: this can even be done manually. The situation is completely different if it is necessary to use sheet steel of considerable thickness for the profiled sheet. In this case, the machine used for the production of profiled sheets needs to be equipped with an additional device that will be responsible for bending sheet metal of considerable thickness.
The machine for corrugated sheeting, depending on the required performance, can be equipped with a manual or mechanized drive. Of course, the manual machine for the production of corrugated sheets has a simpler design. Meanwhile, when deciding to use such equipment, you should keep in mind that working on a manual machine for the production of profiled sheets requires significant physical effort, so using such a device for the production of profiled sheets of significant thickness is problematic.
Manual profile bending machine LSP-2000 is designed for the production of profiled sheets or brackets from metal up to 0.55 mm thick
Meanwhile, manufacturing at home a machine equipped with a mechanized drive for the production of corrugated sheets is also associated with certain difficulties. The fact is that such equipment for corrugated sheeting must have a device that ensures cutting of profiled sheets into products of a certain length. To perform this technological operation, ordinary guillotine shears are not suitable, since this requires devices whose working bodies in their shape completely correspond to the configuration of the profiled steel sheet.
The profile is formed on a specialized line at a rolling mill
There are two technologies that can be used to produce corrugated sheets using specialized equipment. The first of them is called simultaneous profiling and involves immediately deforming both sides of the steel sheet used to make the profiled sheet. Machines for the production of corrugated sheets, operating on the principle of sequential profiling, separately deform each side of the steel sheet.
The greatest efficiency in the production of corrugated sheets is a specialized line for the production of corrugated sheets, the structure of which already contains all the necessary equipment.
Requirements and production of material
The metal profile for the roof is made from steel using the cold method. Corrugated sheets come with or without a protective coating (polymer, enamel).
Each type of corrugated sheet has its own thickness. When using high-quality raw materials (for example, steel), the material is produced with a zinc coating of 26 microns.
If the thickness of the coating is reduced by half, then wear of the material increases. Therefore, it is very important to use both first-class raw materials and high quality equipment.
Requirements for designing the production of corrugated sheets:
- the presence of a concrete floor with a flat surface in the production area;
- use of equipment with a carrying capacity of more than five tons;
- the minimum room temperature should be 4 degrees;
- the presence of special gates for unloading and loading finished material;
- availability of premises for storing steel coils;
Requirements for equipment placement:
- convenient location of machines for their unhindered maintenance and repair;
- installation of unwinding devices near raw material storage areas;
- If there is not enough space in the premises, place the warehouse in a neighboring building.
Production line structure
To ensure high quality of products, corrugated sheet production lines must be equipped with the following mechanisms and devices.
- In such a line, a mechanism is required that ensures the fixation of rolls of sheet steel, as well as their unwinding. The production of steel profiled sheets on an industrial scale involves the use of sheet metal rolls as raw materials, the weight of which can reach up to ten tons. It is almost impossible to manipulate such rolls without the use of special devices.
- A special device allows you to automatically regulate the degree of sagging of the workpiece between the unwinding mechanism and the receiving part of the machine. A line for the production of corrugated sheets, as a rule, processes sheet metal at high speed, which simply does not allow manual adjustment of the sagging of the workpieces.
- To ensure high productivity and the required quality of manufactured products, professional equipment for the production of metal profiles is equipped with several groups of work rolls. These groups of rolls, called stands, perform various functions as part of an automated line for the production of profiled sheets. Typically, these stands, consisting of a varying number of work rolls, are used to load sheet metal into the processing area of the equipment, to perform work operations and to unload the finished product from the machine.
- The production line has a drive mechanism that must have sufficient power to ensure high productivity of technological operations associated with the production of profiled sheets by rolling.
- The cutting device that is equipped with professional equipment for the production of corrugated sheets must ensure high-quality cutting of the finished product, without the formation of burrs and bends on its edges. The presence of such defects significantly reduces the cost of the finished product.
- A machine for the production of corrugated sheets on an industrial scale must also be equipped with a compartment in which finished products are stored.
Structure of an automatic corrugated sheet production line
A production line intended for the production of corrugated sheets can be controlled by an automated system or a simpler device that is not able to provide the required level of automation of the technological process. Meanwhile, even operators with a low level of qualifications can use a machine for corrugated sheeting, controlled by a simpler device.
Preparing supports and table for feeding workpieces
Self-production of a rolling machine begins with assembling a frame to accommodate all equipment components. In this case, it is enough to install reliable supports, securing them to the base: preferably a concrete floor.
Machine base
Next, a table is assembled, along the surface of which the workpiece will be fed into the machine. Its length should be several times greater than the length of the finished product, since there will need to be free space on the surface to accept the finished product. The optimal table surface material is aluminum sheet.
There should be a special bar on the table that can secure the workpiece to the table using bolts. In the same way, a manual lever is secured, which feeds sheets of material along the table into the machine for corrugated sheeting, setting the required feed angle.
