Rolling Mill Components

In a rolling mill, the shaft serves as a central axle from which torque and rotation from the gearbox is applied to the rolls; this is aided by driven shafts and spindles, which are connected to the rolls to facilitate the rotation required. Shafts and spindles are supported by the stands, running the length of the rolling mill line.

Cutters or shear blades are teeth elements that shear material into parts through a cutting process. Similarly, cut off dies are used to cut material at a precise length, leaving excess metal in an untrimmed strip on the end of the blank, whilst circular knives rotate on their own axis and swing in a circle to cut.

Excess material is removed by slitter and separator blades; separators are used to isolate the layers of the material web to avoid sheet stock contamination.

Spacers serve as connections between other mill components such as bearings and the frame.

Bearing sleeves provide clearance in a machine spindle for linear or rotational movement.

There are many advantages to shearing: great for high-volume operations, it is fast and efficient when cutting sheet metal. Shearing is precise, and minimises waste. It can be used on a variety of soft sheet metal, for a range of diameter sizes. There is also no heating element necessary for cutting. Moreover, in some machines, the angles of the shear blades can be adjusted so as to adjust the amount of force applied by the blades.

However, there are several downfalls of shearing, too. Shearing works best with softer metals - and cannot cut some harder metals such as tungsten. Shearing does not always produce a clean finish, but can instead deform metals slightly; in particular, some tubing may be squashed during shearing since there are limited ways of supporting the structure of the tube. In addition, shearing will only cut in straight lines; for a curved blade or more complex shape, die cutting, laser cutting, or water jet cutting are alternative options.

Shafts are often cylindrical, but can also be square or rectangular, and transfer torque between two objects. It typically has one pointed and one blunted end, making it perfect for rotating on a support.

A spindle also transfers torque, but does not support like a shaft; it instead holds the tool or workpiece directly.