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Straightening machines use specially developed and carefully contoured hardened steel rolls. The majority of rolls are manufactured from a high-chrome, high-carbon tool steel that is throughhardened to values usually between 58 and 64 Rockwell C. The roll's profile is not the tube's radius. The profile is hyperbolic; the contact roll touches the tube at just three points (see Figure 2). The roll's shape allows it to accommodate several tube diameters, which is accomplished by adjusting the roll gap and angle. It is important always to keep rolls in sets with matching diameters and to check the amount of wear on a monthly basis. A simple procedure is to measure and monitor the diameter of the roll at the center of the profile. When the difference in the diameter reaches the OEM's advised maximum deviation, the rolls should be reprofiled to bring them back to standard. Rolls can often be reprofiled until the diameter at the center is down to about 80 percent of the original size. Rolls with worn profiles mark the tube and do not completely straighten it. Wear on one side of the profile indicates that the rolls were not aligned correctly in the machine when they were installed. After the profile has worn off-center, the roll will mark the tube and wear more rapidly.
late 1980s. While many 10-roll machines were installed in the 1970s and 1980s, it was not until computer machine setting systems were introduced around 1989 that they became easier to set up quickly for production. These systems store all the required data to set up the machine for a specific tube; changeover often takes less than a minute. In addition to providing faster changeover, the systems provide consistent setups that turn out consistent-quality tube. With older manual systems, the product quality varied with the operators' skill, but with a computerized system, the degree of straightness and ovality is consistent from one operator to the next. Computerized systems also enable small-batch production with many size changes per shift.