You might be a fan of the many television shows that feature motorcycle and classic car customization. Or maybe you are just someone with an old vehicle that needs body parts that are no longer available.
When specialty items are needed but are not mass-produced, metal forming often is the solution. A skilled and experienced technician can create fenders and other metal pieces that are made to fit as needed.
It also is possible to design a part and have a computer-assisted machine create it to the exact specifications. The following gives you a better understanding of metal forming and rolling processes.
Metal Forming Has Many Elements
There are many ways to shape and form metal to obtain exactly what you need for your machinery, vehicle, or another project. The tools for metal forming often include items that use extreme heat, bend or fold the metal, and can create elegant and smooth curves.
A metal forming technician might use hammers, rollers, a variety of cutting equipment, or welding gear to create a piece of perfectly formed metal. The process also might require extreme heat, extreme cold, or extreme pressure to force the metal to take on a particular shape.
Metal forming can be done by hand with common and specially designed tools for the task. You also might use a computer-assisted machine that does the work for you with a variety of equipment and materials. Whatever it takes to create the metal form that you desire, there are many ways to accomplish the task.
Automated Compression, Cold Extrusion, and Forging
Many industrialized and custom producers of formed metals use automation to produce what they need. A technician who can program a computer-assisted machine can produce a single unit or many of the same item for mass production.
The machine can deliver absolute and precise positioning, synchronized axis, heat, and pressure to quickly and efficiently produce the right shape and form quickly and efficiently. Such automated systems can stretch, bend, forge, and compress metal into the exact shape and dimensions required to produce a useful piece of formed metal.
Metal Rolling Produces Elegant Curves and Specialty Parts
You might have heard of the English wheel, which has been around since nearly the beginning of the industrial age. A metal rolling machine enables skilled artisans to produce custom parts that can fit motorcycles, automobiles, and pieces of machinery and other equipment. Those parts often have curves and gentle slopes that enable them to fit properly and suit a special purpose.
More modern production systems use mechanical systems, like a hot stretch straightener, stretch forming, and extrusion methods to turn metal billets into perfectly formed shapes and parts. They can include metal rolling and other metal-shaping to create a unique and highly useful product.