Rolling instead of pressing: a cheaper way to produce metal parts

Every car also contains a piece of the machinery used to manufacture its parts. Huge presses that shape metal cost millions. Today, they are considered the industrial standard for many precision components. Researchers in Dresden are now working to change this.

At the Fraunhofer IWU, Martin Wagner is developing a simple but effective idea. Instead of a heavy press that pushes on large areas of metal, a rolling tool performs the work. The tool only touches the metal along a narrow line. This is enough to shape parts but requires much less force. The tools cost only half as much and the machine itself is smaller and cheaper. Overall, manufacturers could reduce forming costs by up to 70 percent.

That sounds promising. But does the process also work for components that must be manufactured with very high precision? This is exactly what the smartROLL project aims to demonstrate.

Sensors monitor every movement

The core of smartROLL is an intelligent monitoring system. Dozens of sensors continuously measure forces, rotation angles and accelerations during rolling. The data are evaluated in real time. An algorithm based on machine learning – methods that allow computers to learn from data and experience – immediately detects when something is wrong. The system can then intervene before a faulty part is produced. The goal is to make rolling as precisely controllable as conventional pressing processes, which is an important prerequisite for industrial series production.

In addition, a digital twin is created – a virtual representation of the machine and the process. It helps engineers better understand the rolling process and improve it in a targeted way.