Why is Metal Slitting Important?
The purpose of slitting materials (such as steel) is to cut large rolls or coils down into narrower rolls. Referred to as the master roll, this large coil is then run through a slitting line, which converts it to several rolls with smaller widths. This can be done incredibly efficiently and precisely, which makes it great for projects with tight tolerances.
Slitting Services for Sheet Metal & Coils
At Service Steel, we use high-quality circular blades, often called knives, to slit large coils of steel. The knives’ positions can be adjusted to cut the metal into different width strips for a desired size. The general process takes the coil, unrolls it, slits the metal, then rolls it back up again, giving you several narrow-width slit coils for your project. Slitting your steel is an efficient and fast way to get the uniform measurements you need quickly, and can help make further processing easier. If you’re ready to get started, request a quote today.
Please note: We primarily handle coil slitting through our Hammond, Indiana warehouse but can work with those near our Houston and Baton Rouge locations to get you the steel you need. For more information, call our team of service representatives about your options today.
STEEL SLITTING FAQS
- Uncoiler: the part of the line that unrolls the metal and feeds it into the slitter
- Slitter: the blades that cut the metal into narrower bands
- Recoiler: what takes the narrow bands and rolls them back up into new coils
If a slitting line doesn’t have high-quality tooling or the metal being slit is low quality, there can be issues with the finished product. Slitting without consideration of steel type and grade can also lead to this. Poor edge quality, edge burr and wave, crossbow, camber, and knife marks are all potential problems that can be seen if not done by a reputable metal processor with high-quality tooling.
Different gauges are used to categorize steel depending on how thick (and difficult to slit) the material is.
- Light Gauge: used for materials between 0.15mm and 4mm thick, highest precision.
- Medium Gauge: used for materials between 1mm and 10mm thick, precise and tough.
- Heavy Gauge: used for materials between 8mm and 20mm thick, toughest applications.
Slitting allows a much larger roll of steel (usually produced as large as possible to maximize material and labor efficiency) to be separated into several narrower coils to fit project specifications. These narrower pieces of sheet steel can be used for a wide range of applications, from drain pipes to HVAC ducts.