TMS has capabilities to add different types of geometry at the open end of your hydroformed, deep drawn, metal spun, or fabricated part. You can have a joggle common for assembly weldments, beads, ribs, hems or flanges. Call us today and we will be happy to work with you to build your part or help with improving the manufacture-ability of your part design.Â
Our secondary metal forming processes include:
- Rolling and welding custom cylindrical shapes
- Beading and edge rolling
- Trimming, precision welding services
- Adding finishes and/or polishes to your parts.Â
TMS has 95 years of metal forming experience and has the metal forming technology for a variety of industries such as aerospace, automotive, military, ordnance, plastics, lighting, pharmaceuticals, dairy, etc… We have engineers on staff with metal forming expertise to help guide you on designing a custom part and choose the optimal process to produce high quality stamped parts at a competitive and affordable price. If you need assistance in designing a custom metal part, please give us a call today for prompt, courteous, professional service. We can assure you the finest quality job for any metal stamping process.
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Roll Forming is the process of bending the metal sheet or blank into a curved shape. This is typically achieved by passing metal through a series of rolls that progressively bend the material into the desired curve. Roll bending is achieved by determining the angle of the rollers and the exact pressure needed from the rollers. At Toledo Metal Spinning Company, we use the roll bending process in our daily routines to roll our cylindrical tanks and tubes.
The rolls, or rollers, are the pieces that support the metal sheet or blank. These apply a specific amount of pressure (designated by the controller) to ensure the material is formed into the proper shape. It is also extremely important to keep in mind the minimum and maximum radii, because that will directly impact the size of the cylinder or tube being formed. Another important term to understand is the amount of pinch given in the initial bend of the material. In the video below, notice the pinch happening between 3-5 seconds in, and then again from the front point of view, between 13-15 seconds. The pinch bends the metal, while holding it between the two rolls. There is a certain amount of pressure applied to ensure that the material is bent and rolled through the rolls at the correct angle.
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When a part is spun, deep drawn, or stamped, there is often excess metal around its outside, or around the flange. Trimming removes the excess metal, sometimes even the flange, depending on the part and its dimension requirements. This can be done on a hand lathe, or by an automated machine.Â
Welding metal is a fabrication process of joining two metals of similar materials together. This occurs by using very high temperatures to melt the base metal (parent metal) to the filler, and then allowing the weld to cool, or fuse together. Filler material is not used in every weld, but it is very common. For example, while seam welding, filler is not necessary.Â
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MaterialÂ
In welding, the materials being welded together must be similar, while during soldering, different materials can be joined together.Â
MeltingÂ
In soldering, the metal is heated up to be bonded to the base metal, but it is never softened. In welding, the base metal is melted to the material it is connecting to. This requires high temperatures, while soldering does not.
Techniques
There are many techniques to welding, while soldering is typically used for electronic devices where the components can be connected together electronically.Â
DurabilityÂ
Welds can be extremely strong and durable, while soldering is not. Soldering is much softer, but is not used for holding tough components together like welding is.Â
Metal products are polished to improve appearance by creating a beautiful smooth and shiny finish. Polishing also increases the part's durability by removing imperfections that may be on the surface. Polishes help to prevent corrosion and removes oxidation, allowing the products to be used in markets such as food processing or medical devices.Â
Manual finishing and robotic finishing are two popular processes for applying a smooth, shiny finish to metal.Â
Manual FinishingÂ
Trained polishers apply different grades of abrasives to the part, accomplishing a polish pattern desired by the customer. Manual polishing is a skill that the polisher must be trained to do. It requires a lathe to rotate the part through the process, and the knowledge and understanding between the various abrasives and their effects on the metal. Once a part is finished, the correct abrasive and pattern will be written down and saved for future use.Â
Robotic FinishingÂ
A skilled robotic engineer will program the robot to polish what normally the manual polisher would do. Robotic polishing can be very efficient and result in beautiful finishes. The robots utilize abrasive belts int he same way a manual polisher would, with the process stored for future use. Â Each part must be inspected for the highest quality result.Â
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The process of polishing metal is creating a smooth and shiny surface by using a chemical treatment, or polishing by hand. Â Depending on the type of polish, the metal may be shiny, or result in a mirror-like finish.Â
It is also important for sanitary-grade products to have the correct polish applied. This helps to prevent food-grade or medical device equipment to accumulate bacteria or corrosion.