DIY roller knife for sheet metal

Description, principle of operation

A roller cutter for metal is a device designed to separate sheet metal into two parts. The principle of operation is based on the destruction of the strength bonds of the processed material in a local area.

The force on the metal is carried out along two parallel planes. The force vectors are directed towards each other. Example: household scissors or industrial guillotine.

In roller shears, the power parts are made in the form of two disks. The internal (facing each other) cutting surfaces are in the same plane. The edges of the rollers extend (displaced) a small distance in a perpendicular plane. When moving (rotating), the device slides onto the metal sheet.

A sheet sandwiched between two disks experiences two forces at the point of contact. Shear deformation and separation of the material occurs. The discs, performing a translational-rotational movement, shift the point of contact in the direction of the cut. In this way, the process of continuous processing of sheet iron is carried out.

Necessary materials

A machine for cutting sheet metal, constructed with your own hands at home, requires knives, the range of materials for which is very wide, and the choice of one of them mainly depends on the type and thickness of the material that will need to be cut. If you have to work with not the most durable, thin sheet steel, such as aluminum, then the simplest bearings will be the ideal option. But for the required functionality of a roller knife, they lack sharpening, which should be carried out independently along the entire end of the future tool.

The main roller knife is installed on a movable part of the structure with a pressure handle, which, when pressed, clamps the workpiece between two cutting surfaces. The diameter of the bearings directly affects the speed of work performed. That is, the larger the bearing diameter, the higher the production speed on the machine.

Making a roller knife for metal with your own hands

To simplify the work with the tool and make it more convenient, it would be nice to equip the sheet cutter with a guide plane.

The manufacture and installation of this part is not very difficult, and in return it will greatly simplify the entire process. The result is a universal machine with roller knives, which can interact with other metalworking equipment, which can also be easily constructed at home.

Design

According to the type of cut line created, the device is divided into:

1. Parallel arrangement of cutting planes. Allows you to create an even, straight cutting line. Used to produce strips of metal.
2. One inclined plane. Two lines are made - straight and curved.
3. Two inclined planes. Create curved and circular cutting lines.

The last two options are used to create shaped semi-finished metal products. The first option is the most common due to its simple design and configuration.

A roller blade is rarely used on its own. To create straight cutting lines and the ability to work with dimensional products, you must have reference points. Therefore, the cutting tool acts as a technical addition to any stationary machine. For example, a sheet bender.

Compound

A device for cutting metal consists of:

• bed with guides (supporting surfaces);
• fixation of the processed material;
• disk knife.

The design of the roller knife includes:

• body with built-in or overhead handle;
• cutting discs;
• adjustment device (tuning) - designed to adjust the gaps and the disks themselves along several planes.

The knife elements (except for the discs) are quite simple geometric shapes. They are made from semi-finished steel, sheet, angle, channel or other metal profile.

The cutting element is made of durable tool steel. Factory models have a resource of 25-30 km when processing sheets 0.5 mm thick.

The adjustment system is a combination of oval holes, metal spacers and set bolts.

For a craftsman who has the skills to process metal parts, making such a device will not be difficult. Using the example of specialists who created a roller knife on their own, the time costs were within 5-10 days, including adjustment and configuration.

What should a bending knife be like?

→ Construction and Repair

Depending on production needs, there are several types of knives for sheet bending machines. It is also necessary to determine the intended volumes of processed and manufactured parts. For example, if sheet metal or sheet metal bending equipment is used to facilitate the work of a crew on construction sites, then you will need a manual knife for press brakes and sheet benders.

A manual knife for a sheet bender allows you to easily and in a fairly short time make, say, ebb tides. Very often on a construction site there is a need to process thin metal sheets, but it is not possible to use equipment that can be located in a large technological workshop. That's why more and more construction crews are choosing a cutting blade for a manual bending machine.

In addition to manual machines, pneumatic machines are also used. They assist hand knives when cutting slightly thicker metal sheets.

If you are cutting metal sheets with a large thickness, then it is recommended to opt for hydraulic knives.

The operation of a sheet bending knife can occur in different states of the metal sheet being processed - hot or cold.

First of all, high demands are placed on a knife regarding its high-quality manufacturing. Steel is selected for knives only of the appropriate quality and is pre-heat treated.

The knife must have such strength that cutting metal can be carried out both cold and hot. It is important to remember that the quality of a sheet bending knife directly affects the service life of the sheet bending machine itself and how durable its operation will be without repair.

Blades of different sizes can be selected for each bending machine. The range of blade sizes is quite wide. The minimum blade length is 110 mm, the maximum is 2000 m. The thickness of the knives ranges from 12 mm to 120 mm.

Several grades of steel are used to make bending knives. Each grade of steel is designed for cutting metal sheets in a cold or heated state.

In addition to standard knives, you can make an individual order for knives with specified parameters. We are talking, for example, about home-made machines or guillotines, as well as especially large machines made to order for working with metal.

Published: 11/07/2011 Tags: Sheet bending, Construction, Construction and Repair

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Advantages

A disc knife is an alternative to manual metal shears or an industrial guillotine. Compared to them and other devices, it has a number of significant consumer properties:

• small overall dimensions and weight;
• simple design;
• easy setup and adjustment;
• ease of use;
• ability to work with a wide range of sheet materials: steel, roofing iron, aluminum, copper.

The edges of the processed semi-finished product, after exiting the machine, have a clean cut, without deformation or burrs.

Manufacturing instructions

Factory models of cutters sold in stores, even in standard configuration, will cost a large amount. The price of models offered on the market starts from 20,000 rubles. Such conditions are not beneficial for purchasing a tool for home use or a small workshop, and it will be used extremely rarely.

To begin with, the main body of the instrument is designed, which everyone chooses for themselves. The main attribute of the machine is manufactured - a roller knife for sheet metal. The material from which the part is made directly affects the durability and performance of the unit. As mentioned above, the strength characteristics should be significantly higher than the similar characteristics of the material being cut. Otherwise, the minimum problem will be a low-quality cut, forcing the craftsman to clean and process the edges of each cut piece.

Scheme for assembling a roller knife

Do-it-yourself roller metal shears are mostly made from bearings. Sharpening the ends of the part forms the cutting surfaces. The main roller, connected to the drive, is attached directly to the handle. The lower one is installed on the fixed lower part of the machine. If you have skills in processing iron alloys, manufacturing such a device will take a maximum of a little more than a week, including setting up the unit.

Application

The main purpose of the device is to process sheet metal material with a thickness of no more than 10 mm. For example:

• working with roofing iron when constructing a roof or fence;
• production of semi-finished products - strips for the production of ventilation from galvanized steel;
• cutting stainless steel to create countertops or kitchen cabinets.

The equipment has found application in auto repair shops for the manufacture of body or cabin elements. Factory cabinets and shelving are assembled from cut metal.

Industrial design or own design

Circular knives for cutting metal are produced industrially, but you can make them yourself. To decide whether to create a tool manually, you need to consider a number of factors:

1. Intensity of equipment operation. For an enterprise that produces goods in serial and medium-sized batches, it is better to purchase an industrial design. Combined with the quality of the workmanship, you will have the ability to fine-tune the instrument. An additional plus is the ergonomic design, which improves ease of use.
2. Required cut quality. At home, creating a device that provides accuracy of tenths of a millimeter is quite a difficult undertaking.
3. Economic component. An industrial product costs 20-70 thousand rubles (knife only). The real costs of making your own instrument (except for labor) rarely exceed 5 thousand rubles. Moreover, this amount includes the supporting part (machine).
4. Time factor. Designing and manufacturing a knife will take up to two weeks. A factory product is purchased in one to two hours. Your own knife will cost less, but there is a proverb that came from abroad: “time is money.”

Hence, solving everyday problems or a small workshop is a tool created on your own. Intensive operation: daily cutting length is more than 20-50 meters - it is necessary to purchase industrial equipment.