Vertical Ring Mills

About

Featuring simple rolling mandrels with adjustable supports, compact design and minimal foundation requirements, banning vertical ring mills have been the choice for many ring manufacturers who want the maximum rolling bang for their buck.


Now Wagner Banning has developed a new generation of vertical ring mills designed to overcome some of the negative aspects of vertical mills and close the gap between vertical and horizontal ring rolling. Successfully commissioned in August, 2002, this new generation of vertical ring mill features:

Quick-change tooling
Centering roller cassettes
Non-contact measuring system
Automatic mandrel retraction and clamping device
Automatic rolling, machine setup and job storage software
Hydraulically adjustable front guide plate
Hydraulically adjustable mandrel supports

To see the Vertical Ring Mill in action, click the following movie or image file:

RICA 2002 -- 2.5 Megabytes -- File Type MPG1

RICA 2002 -- 1 Megabyte -- File Type JPEG

Analysis

Because the mandrel is supported just outside the ring faces, it is possible to exert higher rolling forces on smaller mandrels allowing a smaller punch-out in the blank. Smaller and simpler mandrels also have a better penetration into the ring providing more increased wall reduction for a given tonnage.

This makes the machine attractive for aerospace producers (where material cost is high) and those who want to open up the ring I.D. for further radial/axial rolling. In addition, depending on options, pricing is better than horizontal mills.

Vertical rolling has its drawbacks as well. For example, the O.D. of the piece is limited to the distance between the floor and the mandrel. Material handling is also more difficult, especially for mills designed for large O.D. rings.

Ring faces are not as smooth as radial/axial rolling as it is not possible to reduce ring height as with radial/axial mills.

The decision between horizontal and vertical ring rolling is now more difficult than ever to make. Why not contact us to discuss the alternatives in detail?