Machinerolled

Machinerolled is a term used in manufacturing to describe the process of shaping, thinning, or finishing materials by passing them through rotating rollers. The term combines "machine" and "rolled" to emphasize the continuous action performed by rolling equipment such as calenders, rolling mills, or roller stands. The process can be subdivided into cold rolling, hot rolling, and calendering, depending on temperature and configuration. In cold rolling, the material is processed at or near room temperature to achieve tight thickness tolerances and a smooth surface; hot rolling uses elevated temperatures to facilitate large reductions or to refine microstructure; calendering uses a stack of rollers to impart precise thickness and surface texture to sheet or film.

Materials commonly machinerolled include metals (steel, aluminum), plastics and polymers (PVC, PET film), composites, and food products (dough, pastry sheets, pasta sheets). The controlled reduction in thickness, along with roller pressure, can also texture or pattern surfaces.

Applications include sheet metal parts, packaging films, coated papers, adhesive substrates, and bakery or confectionery sheets. In metalworking, machinerolled products may exhibit improved surface finish and controlled dimensional tolerances, while in polymer processing, calendered films often achieve specific thicknesses and barrier properties.

Advantages include high production speed, uniform thickness, repeatable surface finish, and the ability to produce continuous sheets. Limitations involve roller wear, energy consumption, residual stresses, and difficulties processing complex shapes. The concept predates modern terminology; continuous rolling mills in the 19th and 20th centuries established the basis for industrial machinerolled products.