How a Customer Used Our Ercolina Hydraulic Angle Roll to Launch Their Custom Metal Art Businesse

ROLL BENDER, RollsTags: Angle Roll Machines, Artist Spotlight, Bending Machines, CE40MR3S, Custom Metal Art, Customer Success Story, Ercolina Angle Roll, Fabrication Equipment, Hydraulic Roll Bender, Metal Fabrication, Metal Sculpture Tools, Roll Bending Machinery, Sterling Machinery Blog, Tube Bending Machine, Workshop MachineryBrands: Ercolina

When you get the right tools in the right hands, amazing things can happen. In this story, we’ll introduce you to a customer who turned their dream of designing architectural metal art into a full-time business—with a little help from the Ercolina CE40MR3S Hydraulic Angle Roll. This compact yet powerful roll bender helped bring their vision to life, one perfect curve at a time.

Meet the Customer

Say hello to Victor Ramirez, a fabricator-turned-artist based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. After years of welding and structural metalwork, Victor wanted to pivot toward creating large-scale decorative metal pieces for gates, signage, and public installations. He had the design skills, the welding knowledge, and the ambition—he just needed a way to shape solid material with precision and consistency.

Victor Ramirez stands next to a large, curved metal gate made with the Ercolina Hydraulic Angle Roll

Goal

Victor’s goal was to create sweeping curves in square tube, angle iron, and solid bar stock to use in custom gate designs and sculpture work. He needed something compact enough for his workshop but strong enough to handle architectural-grade steel. His wish list included precision, repeatability, and minimal setup time—everything he needed to scale his creative process without compromising on quality.

Process

Once he found the Ercolina CE40MR3S on our site, Victor reached out to learn more. After a quick call with our machinery experts, he was sold. Here’s what his setup and usage looked like:

1. Unboxing & Setup – With the compact design and built-in hydraulic controls, setup in his small shop space took less than a day.

2. Custom Dies – Victor invested in a few extra roll sets (we helped him find the best ones) to allow for fast changeovers between flat bar and angle.

3. Test Bends – Within hours, he was bending 1.5″ square tube into perfect arcs for a commissioned art gate.

4. Production – Once calibrated, he began producing components for a local sculpture series featuring spiraling metal ribbons over 6 feet tall.

Here is a video showing how the Ercolina works for building and fabricating of fences and stair rails.

Experience

Victor said the Ercolina CE40MR3S was “like having another set of hands.” It gave him the ability to create symmetrical, repeatable bends with minimal effort. The hydraulic assist meant he wasn’t straining to feed material, and the angle control made his art precise every single time. The machine became the backbone of his small business within just a few months.

It’s Always a Positive Experience with Sterling Machinery

Victor’s story is one of many we’ve heard from creative professionals transforming their businesses with the help of reliable, powerful machinery. At Sterling Machinery, we’re proud to offer tools like the Ercolina Hydraulic Angle Roll CE40MR3S that empower creators, builders, and visionaries to bring their work to life.

If you are looking to sell a angle roller you can click here to see what is available.  Call to speak with an expert 626-444-0311

Looking to shape your own path? Explore our full selection of angle rolls here and find the machine that matches your mission.