Sheet metal fabrication involves a long list of different processes, all of which can require different types of equipment to achieve. One such piece of equipment is the bead roller, which is a piece of equipment that quickly creates a beaded edge along the edges of a sheet of metal by rolling up a small lip into a roll. Here is a look at some of the ways a bead roller may be used in sheet metal fabrication. 

Bead rollers are used to create a more rigid edge on a sheet of metal.  

When a sheet of metal comes off the press, the edge is actually far more delicate than what most people would imagine. For example, a thin sheet of aluminum that will later be used for construction purposes is going to have an edge that is super easy to bend and disfigure. However, if a bead roller is used to roll a simplistic bead into the edge of that sheet, it will retain its edge much better during transport, store display, or use. Using a bead roller to create a rigid edge is also done on pieces of pipe for the exact same reason. 

Bead rollers are used for creating a decorative finish on a sheet of metal. 

Sometimes, a sheet of metal is put through a bead roller during metal fabrication simply to create a more decorative finish on the sheet of metal. For instance, you would want a decorative finish on something like a metal sign that would eventually hang in someone's home. The bead roller can be outfitted with all kinds of attachments. Even though the process is the same, the actual "bead" created at the edge of the metal can have varied appearances according to the attachment. Therefore, it is easy to create something like a crimped bead for decorative purposes. 

Bead rollers are used to create a bond between sheet metal and finishing agents. 

Sheet metal can be painted, sealed in plastic, and sustain other surface-treatment techniques. However, the edges of the sheet metal are the points where the finish is most likely to peel away from the metal itself. By using a bead roller to create a bead along all of the edges of a sheet of metal, the surface finish that has been added is going to be less likely to separate from the metal at the edges. The roll kind of crimps the two layers together so edge fraying is not such a concern.