As one of the most widely used tube forming processes, tube rolling allows for high production rates while also providing enhanced strength-to-weight properties. Read More…
Leading Manufacturers
Sharpe Products
New Berlin, WI | 800-879-4418Founded in 1990, Sharpe Products is an ISO 9001:2015 certified company specializing in industrial and commercial pipe and tube bending, laser cutting, end-forming or other custom fabrication services. In addition, we offer a robust line of architectural handrail fittings and accessories such as brackets, connectors, disks, end-caps, flanges, newel caps and spheres.
Paumac Tubing, LLC.
Marysville, MI | 810-985-9400Paumac Tubing, LLC provides quality tube bending, end-forming, cutting and welding and works with aluminum, copper and steel. We are a supplier of OEM and Aftermarket Distribution centers. Paumac Tubing provides innovative solutions to our customer’s needs and we are proud to be ISO 9001:2000 certified. Products offered include: commercial tubes, exhaust tubes and structural components.
LaFarge & Egge, Inc.
Lynnwood, WA | 425-778-4123LaFarge & Egge provides high quality precision tube bending and fabrication to 1-1/2" diameter in aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, inconel and steel. Offering flaring, beading, pressure testing, internal swaged fittings and cyro fitting installation. Tubular parts fabricated exactly how you need them.
Lincoln Industries
Lincoln, NE | 402-475-3671Lincoln Industries has been designing and manufacturing tube fabrications since 1952. Our tube fabrications range in diameter size, from 3/8” to 8”. Products we offer include tube bending, beading, expanding, welding, and forming. We are committed to manufacturing high-quality products that are delivered on time.
Advanced Bending Technologies
Langley, BC | 800-563-2363Advanced Bending Technologies is an industry leader in structural bending, pipe bending, low deformation bending and forming of structural steel. We offer a wide range of innovative bending technology with the implementation of new equipment supplying products that are both accurate and unique to industries with architectural applications. Our services result in labor and material cost-savings.
Tube Rolling -Tube Bending IncorporatedSome benefits of tube rolling include high part-to-part consistency and good surface finish. Able to produce a broad range of part shapes, such as cylindrical, oval, rectangular, conical and square, tube rolling is used in diverse industries and products including: sports and recreation, for fishing rods, golf shafts, tennis racquets and ski poles; electronics, for antennas and other consumer applications; industrial manufacturing, for heating elements and machine components; and marine and naval defense, for launcher tubes, telescopes and masts.
Tube rolling is often used in custom tube fabricating, since it offers the ability to place fibers either along or around the part with knowledge of the end application. Able to be performed using various materials such as stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, magnesium and brass, tube rolling can fabricate both large and small diameter tubes with low tooling costs due to the use of affordable and durable mandrels, and the versatility of tube cutting.
There are many different tube rolling techniques, which are most commonly undertaken using a tube rolling mill. A tube rolling mill can either refer to a factory or a machine; however, in either technique, the method typically remains the same. To begin the process, patterns, or flags, are cut out from materials such as epoxy pre-impregnated carbon, aramid cloth or glass, and then rolled around a mandrel, which is typically made from steel or some other type of metal alloy.
It is essential that a very tight roll is achieved, so that air is not trapped and the fiber is properly aligned. Before the tube can be heat cured, it must be pressure-wrapped with heat-shrinkable plastic film or sleeve. Referred to as debaulking, the wrapping increases the compaction of the part. Now able to be heat-cured, the material-wrapped mandrel is placed within an air-circulated oven or furnace at high temperatures.
During heat curing, the outer wrapping functions to squeeze air out of the ends of the wrapped material through shrinkage. When the heat curing is finished, the mandrel can be removed, creating a hollow, tubular part with very thin walls. Typical rolled tube diameters range from .76 - 609 mm (.030 - 24 in.), and can reach maximum lengths of about 7.3 m (24 ft.).
