ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Temper mill

Imagine you are making a piece of paper or drawing on a piece of paper. Sometimes when you are making the paper or drawing, it gets wrinkled or wavy. This is kind of like what happens when you crumple up a piece of paper and then try to smooth it out again.

To fix this problem in metal sheets or coils, companies use something called a temper mill. This is a big machine that stretches and flattens out the metal to make it smooth and straight again.

It's like if you had a rubber band that was all scrunched up and folded over on itself. If you were to grab both ends of the rubber band and pull, the rubber band would stretch out and become straight again. The temper mill works in a similar way, stretching the metal to make it flat and smooth.

The metal is fed through the temper mill, which has a series of rollers that press down on the metal as it goes through. The rollers apply pressure and stretch the metal, making it thinner and flatter.

Tempering also makes the metal stronger and more durable, so it is less likely to wrinkle or warp in the future. It's like stretching before you exercise - it makes your muscles stronger and less prone to injury.

So in summary, a temper mill is a big machine that stretches and flattens out metal sheets or coils to make them smooth, straight, and stronger.