Cold pilger mill

Multistep forming for high-quality seamless tubes

Main data

Cold pilgering is a rolling process in which the diameter and wall-thickness of metal tubes are reduced. The process involves a large number of forming steps to improve the roundness, stresses, homogeneity, and surface roughness of the tubes.

Located inside the tube is a stationary mandrel, which tapers in the rolling direction. This is attached to a long mandrel bar, which is secured in, and rotated by, a thrust block. Two dies ‘form’ the tubular stock in the same way that a rolling pin rolls out pastry. These two dies are mounted in a reciprocating saddle. Their drive pinions mesh with two stationary racks. That’s how the dies rotate back and forth in synchronization with the reciprocating saddle. The saddle, in turn, is moved back and forth by a crank drive in the same way as a piston in the engine of a motor car.

Our cold pilger mills are also suitable for forming difficult materials that are beyond the capabilities of other processes, e.g. drawing.

Cold pilger mill by SMS group at WEM in China