Roll Form Tooling Materials

Producers of tube, pipe and roll-formed products are always looking for tooling materials that will give them the best results for the best cost. Roll-Kraft has compiled a list of materials that are available today along with where these materials are best suited for use on your mills.

Please note that the list gives limited examples of locations on the mill that we believe the material is most commonly used. Please contact Roll-Kraft so we can fully understand your expectations and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using some of these unique materials.

A common misconception in the industry is that specific materials can solve specific problems. That can be true to a certain extent, but you need to be sure that your tooling supplier is asking the right questions and understands your expectations. For instance, the definition of a “mark-free” product varies from producer to producer. If you are looking for a mark-free product, we would ask to see a sample in order to understand your expectations. Also, the current tooling material may be ideal, but mills that are set up incorrectly or misaligned can sometimes lead to product marking. The last thing we want to do is provide you with a very expensive material that you don’t actually need.

Most importantly, if the material is to be heat-treated, you must be certain it is done properly. The most expensive materials available today will not perform any better than the least expensive materials if they are heat treated improperly. Decreasing the duration of heat treatment is a way that tooling suppliers can cut corners and ultimately sell you less expensive tooling. If heat treating companies do not have the material at their facility for the proper amount of time, it is less costly to them, which is less costly to the roll supplier. It is imperative that your tube, pipe, and roll-form tooling is heat-treated properly.

Aluminum Bronze 18 / 21 / 45 – Non-magnetic and non-marking

• Relatively soft
• Used throughout the mill in areas where roll marking would yield an unacceptable final product

Carbide 15% Cobalt – More binder than 6% Cobalt for increased toughness

•  Used for breakdowns rolls, fin pass rolls, sizing rolls, side rolls, and turkhead rolls

Carbide 12% Nickel – The nickel binder is more resistant to chemicals than cobalt

• Can survive in a wide range of chemistries
• Used for breakdowns rolls, fin pass roll, sizing rolls, side rolls, and turkhead rolls
• A non-magnetic grade is used for weld rolls

Nylon – Used for to form very soft materials that would mark using another tool steel

• Used for breakdowns rolls, fin pass roll, sizing rolls, and side rolls
• Mainly used to form aluminum products, but is also used to form some stainless steel products as well