What is radius 2 edge rounding?

The Q-Fin applications, Lian explains. Last time she discussed the most frequently asked questions about removing metal slag. Earlier in this series she discussed the edge rounding of sheet metal parts. This edge rounding can be done with different radiuses, including radius 2. Lian explains what this entails and why it is sometimes necessary. “A radius is a straight line running from the centre of a circle to the edge, half a diameter. When you round off sheet metal parts, you create an edge with a certain radius. Radius 2, also known as R2 or R=2, means a radius of 2 mm.”

 

Why radius 2?

“Rounding metal sheets has a number of advantages: The product becomes more manageable and safer to work with, therefore work can be done more smoothly, and sharp edges cause poor adhesion of paint or coating, which can flake off and cause rust. Also called corrosion.

How big the radius specifically needs to be differs per application, often this is standardised, for example as P2 or P3. Since, among others, the Dutch government uses radius 2 as a general rule for public installations, this is often used. The question is whether such a steep rounding is really necessary. Does the radius have to be 2 in order to prevent sharp edges and to be able to realise a protective layer on the edges that is as thick and strong as the layer on the rest of the surface? This discussion is particularly important because it takes a lot of effort to reach R2. But is that still the case today?

 

How to round off with radius 2?

“This can be done in several ways. Firstly, by milling, but that is very expensive. Secondly, the sheet metal parts can be rounded off with abrasive techniques, such as sanding and grinding. This can be done manually or by machine. The manual application of a radius 2 is very labour-intensive and therefore very costly. When machining the edges, many machines require the sheet material to be fed through the machine several times. If this is at all possible due to the shape and contours of the sheet metal.

 

The Super Edge Rounder

At Q-Fin we thought this could be done better. That is why we developed the SER600, Super Edge Rounder. This machine was designed and built specifically for, as the name suggests, achieving a large edge rounding (R2) on steel. In a single pass, this machine realises a radius of 2 mm on the edges of a sheet or strip. This makes it 5 times faster than similar machines!

Q-Fin specialises in the development, construction and sale of deburring machines and, in addition to the SER600, has developed other specific machines for machining metal sheet parts. Discover our extensive product range!

Edge rounding with radius 2 is just one of the applications that our machines can help you with. In our next blog Lian will tell you all about dust extraction when machining metal parts.