Plate Rolling Hardox – Contract Manufacturing in Germany
plate rolling Hardox contract manufacturing. Bock Maschinenbau offers plate rolling and profile rolling up to 120 mm plate thickness and Ø 8,000 mm. Steel, Hardox, stainless steel and fine-grain structural steels are formed into cylinders, cones and special shapes to drawing. Contract manufacturing in Lorch, Germany.
Rolling of cylinders, pipes, rings and shells depending on machine, material and component geometry.
4–120 mm
Material thicknesses from thinner plates to heavy plate; maximum values depend on the material.
Up to 3,150 mm length
Rolling lengths up to 3,150 mm for large-format plate blanks and heavy formed parts.
4 plate rolling machines
Four 3-roll bending machines covering different diameter, thickness and length ranges.
Direct downstream processing
Welding, CNC machining, shot blasting and painting can follow without an external interface.
Manufacturing to drawing
Diameter, roundness, seam positions and documentation are agreed and inspected per project.
Plate Rolling – Process and Capacity
Plate rolling at Bock is performed using heavy 3-roll bending machines. Plate thicknesses up to 120 mm for S235 can be rolled. For higher-strength steels such as Hardox and fine-grain structural steel, the maximum plate thickness reduces according to material yield strength.
Diameters up to Ø 8,000 mm are achievable. Cylinders, half-shells, cones and special shapes to drawing are the standard service. The in-house material store and 2×25 t crane system enable safe handling of heavy blanks.
Rolled components proceed directly to the welding fabrication line – everything from a single source in Lorch.
The rolling result is verified to drawing: diameter, roundness and seam positions are checked with calibrated measuring equipment. For high-precision cylinders and special shapes, dimensional reports are prepared and included in the scope of delivery.
Rolled parts in Hardox and fine-grain structural steel require adapted bending parameters, as these materials show a higher degree of springback. Thanks to many years of experience with these materials, Bock reliably achieves tight bending radii and close tolerances even in special steels.
After rolling, components can be welded, machined, shot-blasted and painted directly – all in the same facility in Lorch. Contract manufacturing is carried out to DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 with complete material traceability and documented quality assurance.
Diameter, plate thickness and length determine the feasibility check. Several 3-roll bending machines are available at the Lorch site:
Machine
Diameter Ø
Plate thickness
Roll length
Sertom · Plate rolling machine
Ø 400–8,000 mm
8–120 mm
up to 3,050 mm
SMT-Pullmax Kumla · Plate rolling machine
Ø 400–6,000 mm
4–60 mm
up to 2,000 mm
Davi 20485 · Plate rolling machine
Ø 340–6,000 mm
8–80 mm
up to 2,000 mm
Wilhelmsburger DWV · Plate rolling machine
Ø 300–5,000 mm
4–30 mm
up to 3,150 mm
The values depend on the machine and material. For Hardox, stainless steel or fine-grain structural steel we assess springback, radius, roundness and tolerance per project based on your drawing.
The four machines above deliberately have different sweet spots. Together they cover Ø 300 to 8,000 mm and 4 to 120 mm plate thickness — from the thin-walled small cylinder to the XXL shell, in steel, fine-grain structural steel, stainless steel and Hardox. That way no component falls between the machines — here is the right roll for each task.
Small & thick-walled
Tight radius at high wall thickness — the demanding combination.
Davi 20485 · Plate rolling machine
e.g. compact, thick-walled pipe bodies, rings and bushings
Large & heavy (XXL)
Largest diameter meets the thickest heavy plate.
Sertom · Plate rolling machine
e.g. silo shells, vessel courses and hoppers up to Ø 8,000 mm
Thin-walled & long
Fine plates over the full pass length, at the smallest diameter.
Wilhelmsburger DWV · Plate rolling machine
e.g. long, thin-walled cylinders and small rings
Large & medium-heavy
Large diameter at medium wall thickness — the flexible all-rounder.
SMT-Pullmax Kumla · Plate rolling machine
e.g. vessel shells and courses in the medium thickness range
And in any shape
Cylinders & courses
Cones & truncated cones
Rings & flanges
Half-shells
Pipe bends & elbows
Special shapes to drawing
The 3-Roll Principle and Springback – Expertise in Plate Rolling
Plate rolling (bending) is a cold-forming process: the plate runs between three rolls and is progressively shaped to the desired curvature by their infeed. A few process details are decisive for a dimensionally accurate, round result:
Pre-bending the edge (pre-rolling zone) – without pre-bending, a straight residual edge would remain at the start and end of the plate. We pre-roll the ends so that cylinders and courses close dimensionally accurate all around.
Springback of higher-strength steels – fine-grain structural steel and Hardox spring back more after rolling. The rolls are fed in correspondingly tighter (over-bent) to reliably hit the target diameter.
Cold forming without heat input – rolling is done cold, without a heat-affected zone and without microstructural distortion. The achievable bending radii depend on plate thickness, strength and rolling direction (framework: DIN 6935, cold bending of flat steel products).
Cone and taper rolling – with obliquely fed rolls, truncated cones and conical courses are produced, not just cylindrical shapes.
Minimum diameter per machine – the smallest achievable diameter is determined by the roll diameter; depending on the machine, we roll from Ø 300 mm.
We coordinate infeed, pre-bending and springback compensation per project based on your drawing – material, diameter, wall thickness and tolerance determine the parameters. For high-precision cylinders and special shapes, roundness and diameter are checked with calibrated measuring equipment and documented.
Cylinders and half-shells for pressure vessels and tanks
Conical sections and transition pieces for silos and hoppers
Pipe bends and transition sections for pipework systems
Hardox wear liners for mineral processing equipment
Rings and flanges as pre-fabrication stage for welded structures
Rolled components are welded, machined and surface-treated directly on site. Rolling is followed immediately by welding, shot blasting and painting – without external logistics. The 2×25 t crane system enables safe handling of heavy plates and large-format cylinders across all manufacturing areas. For pressure vessels, silo construction and wear protection systems, components are manufactured to drawing. Plate thicknesses up to 120 mm and diameters up to 8,000 mm are possible, even for high-strength materials such as Hardox and fine-grain structural steel. Quality documentation and material certificates to DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 are available for all order types. Contract manufacturing without minimum quantities for individual parts and small batches. Customer-supplied plates are processed on request. Short transition to welding and surface treatment in the same facility.
Direct Transition to Welding, Machining and Surface Finishing
Rolled components can be carried forward in the same facility. This reduces interfaces and makes procurement more plannable for buyers:
MAG, TIG and submerged-arc welding for cylinders, pipes, rings and steel assemblies
CNC large-part machining up to 50 t for mating faces, hole patterns and connection geometries
Shot blasting and industrial painting as integrated surface treatment
Assembly, intermediate inspection and logistics of heavy components via 2×25 t crane system
Depending on the project, individual parts, small batches and customer-supplied plates are processed. Material certificates, inspection reports and quality documentation are agreed per project.
Bock Maschinenbau offers plate rolling as an integrated step of contract manufacturing:
Plate thickness up to 120 mm
Heavy rolling machines for large-format steel plates.
Diameter up to Ø 8,000 mm
Very large cylinders and special shapes are achievable.
Hardox and special steels
Wear-resistant steels are processed to customer specification.
No minimum order quantity
Individual parts, prototypes and series production all manufactured.
DIN EN ISO 9001:2015
Quality management system with documented material traceability.
Plate rolling for the region
Vessel, apparatus and pipe builders from the Stuttgart area and the entire DACH region have us roll shells, cones and cylinders up to Ø 8,000 mm here in Lorch – including in stainless steel and Hardox.
Frequently Asked Questions about Plate Bending and Plate Rolling
Up to what diameter and plate thickness can you roll?
We roll diameters up to Ø 8,000 mm and plate thicknesses up to 120 mm (S235). For higher-strength steels such as Hardox and fine-grain structural steel, the maximum thickness reduces according to the strength. Four 3-roll plate bending machines cover the range from Ø 300 mm.
Depending on the machine, we roll from Ø 300 mm. The smallest achievable diameter is determined by the roll diameter – for compact, thick-walled parts we use the machine designed for this.
Can you also roll cones and conical shapes?
Yes. With obliquely fed rolls we produce truncated cones and conical courses – not just cylindrical shapes. We likewise roll rings, half-shells and pipe bends to drawing.
How do you handle the springback of high-strength steels?
Fine-grain structural steel and Hardox spring back more after rolling. We compensate for this with adapted infeed (over-bending) and check radius, roundness and tolerance per project – so tight tolerances are reliably maintained even with special steels.
Does a straight edge remain at the plate ends?
Without pre-bending, a straight remnant would remain at the start and end. We pre-roll the edges so that cylinders and courses close dimensionally accurate all around and can be cleanly welded.
Do you supply material certificates?
Yes. On request or in line with the project requirement, we provide material certificates to EN 10204. Manufacturing is carried out to DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 with complete material traceability.
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