en.Wedoany.com Reported - IDESA's facility in Avilés, Spain, has integrated a Davi MCB four-roll plate bending machine into its heavy offshore manufacturing line to address bottlenecks in the plate bending stage for monopiles, transition pieces, and jacket foundations, enhancing geometric precision and continuous production capacity for thick plate processing.
Offshore wind foundation structures are continuously growing in size, with components such as monopiles and transition pieces requiring steel plate thicknesses exceeding 100 millimeters (3.93 inches) and widths up to 4.5 meters (14.76 feet). In the thick plate rolling stage, manual adjustments, material springback, and longer cycle times can hinder downstream assembly and welding progress; any deviation in plate curvature can also lead to rework and plant downtime. To overcome these constraints, IDESA has incorporated Davi's MCB four-roll plate bending machine into its production line.
The improvements brought by this system are evident in several areas. In terms of cycle time, precise roll positioning reduces non-value-added processing time for each rolled plate, streamlining the upstream material flow. Regarding tolerance control, Davi's digital architecture and roll sequencing compensate for material variations and elastic springback, avoiding out-of-roundness issues. In process integration, the plate bending machine aligns with upstream plate cutting and beveling as well as downstream welding stations, supporting large-scale continuous production. On the operational level, the control system reduces trial-and-error adjustments, making tolerance maintenance less dependent on operator experience.
The MCB four-roll system incorporates several targeted designs at both mechanical and digital levels. The planetary guide technology allows the side rolls to move on a pivoting mechanism rather than sliding along linear guides—a geometry that acts as a force multiplier, reducing upper roll deflection and applying maximum force near the clamping point. The patented Servo-Tronic parallelism control delivers identical oil pressure and mass flow to both ends of the rolls through dual independent hydraulic circuits, supported by mechanical and hydraulic synchronization that continues to operate even if electronic feedback is interrupted. The compact frame and short flat-end design enable thick plates to withstand high structural stress during pre-bending while keeping the flat end as short as possible, reducing material waste. The pendulum gearbox allows stress-free tilting of the upper and lower rolls, with tilt capacity up to 100 millimeters (3.93 inches) per 3 meters (9.84 feet) of roll length, used for forming cones and monopile conical sections.
This integration enables IDESA to increase output, reduce rework, and meet the tolerance standards required for heavy offshore foundations and pressure vessels. As offshore projects move toward deeper waters and larger turbines, such plate bending systems provide structural precision and capacity support for modern shipyards. The equipment manufacturer Davi has released video documentation of this case for further insight into the integration results.
