Method and apparatus for processing sheet metal

A method of leveling and surface-conditioning sheet metal, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a stretcher-leveling apparatus having a first pair of gripping members and a second pair of gripping members spaced from the first pair of gripping members;
• providing a surface conditioning apparatus having at least one rotating conditioning member with a generally cylindrical conditioning surface;
• feeding a metal sheet to be stretched into the stretcher-leveling apparatus;
• gripping the metal sheet with the first and second pairs of gripping members;
• stretching a portion of the metal sheet between the first and second pairs of gripping members by moving the first and second pairs of gripping members in opposite directions from one another;
• and
• conditioning a surface of the portion of the metal sheet with the surface conditioning apparatus by bringing the generally cylindrical conditioning surface of the rotating conditioning member into engagement with the surface of the portion of the metal sheet in a manner to remove scale from the surface of the portion of the metal sheet.

A method of leveling and surface-conditioning a continuous length of sheet metal, in-line, with successive stretching and conditioning operations, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a stretcher-leveler having an input end, an output end, and a stretching mechanism between the input and output ends;
• providing a surface conditioner adjacent the stretcher-leveler, the surface conditioner having at least one rotating conditioning member;
• advancing the continuous length of sheet metal through the stretcher-leveler in a manner so that successive adjacent portions of the continuous length of sheet metal are only linearly stretched by the stretching mechanism of the stretcher-leveler in successive stretching operations;
• and
• advancing the continuous length of sheet metal through the surface conditioner and into engagement with the rotating surface conditioning member so that successive adjacent surface portions of the sheet metal are conditioned by the rotating conditioning member in a manner to remove scale from the surface portions of the sheet metal.