5 Ways to Increase the Efficiency of Your Bead Roller

Sheet metal bead rollers are one of the most important sheet metal fabrication tools. They help in adding rigidity to the sheet metal. Although bead rollers look easy to work with, there are some tips that will help you improve the efficiency and get brilliant results from your sheet metal bead roller.

5 Tips to Making Better Beads with Your Bead Roller

The following are some tips and tricks from sheet metal fabrication experts. These tips will help you up the efficiency of your bead roller.

1. If your sheet metal tends to wrap after bead rolling it, consider using a shrinker stretcher or an English Wheel to stretch it slightly. This should make the metal straighter giving it a better appearance.

2. When making straight beads, you can use a bead roller fence. This handy tool works as a guide as you make your beads. It keeps your bead roller in place and makes sure you get a straight clean line.

3. Before using the bead roller, make sure it is clean. If small bits are stuck in the roller, it will leave the impression in the bead. This will give you an uneven beading, which is unaesthetic.

4. After cleaning your roller, lubricate it well. Lubrication ensures that the tool functions smoothly. Any jerks in the machine will be clearly visible on the sheet metal.

5. The pressure of the mandrel dictates the depth of the bead. If you don’t remember the pressure that is used, you will end up with beads that are not equally depressed. Make a note of the number of turns you made when increasing the pressure and keep it constant every time you make a bead.

6. Some bead rollers have some flex. Take the amount of flex into account when adding the pressure. This will allow you to get a consistent bead.

There are no do-overs with bead rollers. Once you use them, the job is pretty much done. Hence, it is important that the first time around you work for perfection and get the results you want.

These tips form the basis of all sheet metal fabrication jobs. These are the things that you pick up on the way after making mistakes and generally messing up. With these tricks, we hope you will be able to avoid some of them!

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