Why Bevel Plate Metal?
You’ve purchased your press brake or plate roll, and now all you need is some welding equipment to create metal boxes or round tanks, right? Maybe—if all you are working with is thin sheet metal. If you are planning to weld thicker plate metal after bending or rolling it, however, you likely will need an additional piece of equipment—plate bevelers.
Beveling plate metal is a critical step in metal fabrication because it directly affects the strength, quality, and efficiency of welded joints. Beveling involves cutting an angled edge along the thickness of a metal plate, typically where two pieces will be joined. This preparation is especially important when working with thicker materials, where square edges alone are insufficient for proper weld penetration.
One of the primary reasons beveling is important is that it allows for deeper and more consistent weld penetration. A beveled edge creates space for weld material to flow into the joint, ensuring that the weld fuses thoroughly through the full thickness of the plate. Without beveling, welds may only bond at the surface, leading to weak joints that are more susceptible to cracking, fatigue, or failure under load.
Beveling also improves weld quality and reliability. By controlling the joint geometry, fabricators can achieve more uniform welds with fewer defects such as lack of fusion, porosity, or incomplete penetration. This is especially important in industries like construction, shipbuilding, pressure vessel assembly, and structural steel fabrication, where weld integrity is critical for safety and compliance with engineering codes.
Additionally, beveling can increase fabrication efficiency and reduce long-term costs. Properly beveled plates require fewer weld passes, reduce the need for rework, and minimize material waste. This saves time during welding and lowers labor and consumable costs. In the long run, strong, well-prepared joints extend the service life of fabricated components.
The Revolutionary Plate Bevelers of RMT
Plate bevelers from Revolution Machine Tools (RMT) offer significant advantages for fabricators preparing metal plate edges for welding and finishing. RMT’s PBV-FAB™ Series plate bevelers are designed for durability and easy integration into fabrication workflows. Their milling-based cutting heads generate clean, weld-ready edges with minimal heat-affected zones, dust, and noise, creating a safer, cleaner work environment. Unlike hand grinding that relies heavily on operator skill, mechanized bevelers improve repeatability and reduce human error, helping shops maintain more uniform quality across large batches.
Another advantage is versatility—these machines can handle a range of plate thicknesses and bevel styles, making them suitable for diverse welding applications. By streamlining preparation and improving edge quality, RMT plate bevelers increase productivity, enhance operator safety, and support higher-quality welds on structural and manufactured metal parts.
Revolution Machine Tools offers three different PBV-FAB™ plate bevelers to meet the needs of different metal fabricators:
- PBV-FAB™ .375 | RMT’s “entry level” plate beveler is a robust machine able to process 3/8″ plate in any material that can be milled. Much faster than a milling machine—and much safer—this beveler is the choice for fabrication instructors. Equipped with a semi-automatic rotary cutting tool, it can bevel plates from 4″ in length on up (to whatever length the shop’s material handling equipment can support). Optional angles are available, but the standard machine comes with a fixed beveling angle of 32°, a common and effective angle for plate beveling in welding applications (falling within the standard 25°–35° range for V-prep joints on carbon steel).
- PBV-FAB™ 1.375 | The midline offering of RMT bevelers provides infinitely variable speeds for both the feed and the milling head RPM, allowing it to adapt to the fabricator’s needs, up to 48″ per minute. It bevels 4″ and longer plates that are up to 1-3/8″ thick and has an adjustable beveling angle of 15° to 55°, to adapt to the job at hand. It also provides adjustable depth control, to create the desired landing or root face (the small, flat, vertical surface at the bottom edge of the beveled joint).
- PBV-FAB™ 1.57 | Handling plate with thicknesses of 0.12″ to 1.58″ and lengths of 10″ or more, the heavy-duty PBV-FAB™ 1.57 plate beveler is a semi-automatic machine. Unlike many other bevelers that require that plates be fed through edge down, this model processes plates that are laid flat, making larger plates easier to work with. The variable speed milling head can also be adjusted to bevel any angle from 15° to 45°, and can produce a variety of bevels, including X bevels and K bevels.
Order Your RMT Plate Beveler Today
Beveling plate metal is essential for producing strong, durable, and high-quality welded structures. To ensure proper weld penetration and joint integrity for your projects, contact Revolution Machine Tools and get a competitive quote on the PBV-FAB™ plate beveler that is the best fit for your fabrication needs.
Revolution Machine Tools is a trusted name in press brakes and plate rolls, so plate metal fabricators have come to rely on their other equipment, like their PBV-FAB™ plate bevelers. Whatever your metal fabrication need, RMT can take care of you. Give them a call today!
