Wexmar provides custom roller machining for conveyors, web handling, packaging, printing and material handling equipment. Our Canastota, New York shop produces CNC machined rollers, idlers, guide rollers, pinch rollers and small cam follower rollers on CNC lathes and Swiss-type machines, with centerless grinding in-house for tight diameters and finishes. We are a direct roller manufacturer for custom and replacement parts.
What rollers do and who buys them
A roller supports, guides or drives a moving web, belt, sheet or product. Runout, diameter consistency and surface finish decide tracking, tension and product marking. Typical buyers include:
- Conveyor and material handling OEMs needing idlers and guide rollers
- Packaging, converting and printing equipment builders
- Bearing and power transmission OEMs needing precision rollers and follower wheels
- Maintenance buyers replacing worn or obsolete rollers
How our custom roller machining works
Turning roller bodies and journals
Roller bodies, journals and bearing bores are turned on our Mazak and Doosan lathes, with the outside diameter and bearing bores finished in the same chucking to keep runout low. Crowns, grooves, flanges and knurls are turned to profile. The Mazak Multiplex 6300Y finishes both bearing bores in one cycle. See CNC turning.
Swiss machining for small rollers and pins
Small guide rollers, follower rollers and their axle pins up to 32 mm diameter run on our Maier MLK-32 Swiss-type machines, often lights-out for production volumes. See Swiss machining.
Centerless grinding
Plain cylindrical rollers and axle pins that need tight diameter tolerance and fine finish are ground on our in-house centerless grinder.
Typical roller materials
- 1018, 1045 and 4140 steel for general rollers, often plated or hardened
- 52100 and tool steels for hardened follower rollers, heat treated through qualified outside processors
- 303, 304 and 316 stainless for food, washdown and corrosive service
- 6061 aluminum for low-inertia web rollers, often hard anodized
- UHMW, acetal and nylon for quiet, non-marring rollers
Critical roller features and how we hold them
- OD to bore runout: the working diameter and bearing bores are cut in one setup.
- Diameter consistency: matched sets are held to a tight size band so rollers share load evenly.
- Bearing bores: bored to the bearing outer race fit and square to the roller face.
- Crown and profile: crowned rollers are contoured to print for belt tracking.
- Surface finish: turned, ground or polished to suit the web or product.
Typical tolerances and finishes
| Feature | Typical tolerance | Tighter on request |
|---|---|---|
| Roller outside diameter | +/-0.001 in | +/-0.0002 in (centerless ground) |
| OD to bore runout | 0.001 in TIR | 0.0005 in TIR |
| Bearing bore | +/-0.0005 in | +/-0.0003 in |
| Face perpendicularity to bore | 0.001 in | 0.0005 in |
| Diameter match within a set | 0.001 in | 0.0003 in |
| Working surface finish | 32 Ra | 8 to 16 Ra (ground) |
Values are typical and depend on roller length, diameter and material. The quote states what we hold on each feature.
Design notes
For long rollers, specify the runout requirement at the working face and the method of support, since a roller measured on its journals can read differently than one measured on its bearing bores. Tube-bodied rollers with welded journals involve welding, which is not done in-house, so we typically machine solid or pressed designs or finish-machine welded assemblies after the welding is completed through qualified outside processors. Note any plating thickness so the final diameter lands in tolerance.
Secondary operations
Hard chrome, electroless nickel, hard anodize, heat treat, rubber covering and dynamic balancing are completed through qualified outside processors. We finish-grind after plating where the drawing requires a final size.
Quantity patterns
Roller orders range from one or two replacement rollers to production runs of hundreds for conveyor and equipment builders. Matched sets are machined and inspected together, and bar or tube stock can be held for scheduled releases so repeat orders ship with consistent material and dimensions. Related parts include guides and rails.
Inspection
Diameter, runout and bore fit are checked with micrometers, indicators and our Brown and Sharpe CMMs, and crown profiles on the Mitsubishi optical comparator or CMM. FAI in AS9102 format, CMM reports and material certs are available.
Getting a quote
Send the drawing, material, finish and quantity. You can upload a drawing for an instant estimate, and an estimator will confirm price and lead time. Call (315) 400-2654 to talk through a roller design.