Gorelocker Elbow Machine Guide 2026: Hydraulic vs Electric — Which Is Right for You?

Elbows: The Most Complex Spiral Duct Fitting

Spiral duct elbows (also called gorelocker elbows or segmented elbows) are the most complex fitting in spiral duct fabrication. They're made by cutting wedge-shaped "gores" from spiral duct and assembling them into curved sections. A good gorelocker machine ensures precise, consistent elbow segments that assemble into smooth, leak-free curves.

Preda offers two gorelocker power options: hydraulic and electric.

Hydraulic vs Electric Gorelocker

Hydraulic Elbow Making Machine: Power and Precision

The Hydraulic Elbow Making Machine (also called hydraulic gorelocker) uses hydraulic power to cut precise wedge-shaped gores from spiral duct. The hydraulic cylinder delivers consistent, high cutting force — ensuring clean cuts even in thicker material.

• Higher cutting force: Hydraulic pressure delivers consistent force — clean cuts in up to 1.5mm material
• Wide diameter range: 80–1600mm — covers all commercial spiral duct sizes
• Precise angle control: Adjustable gore angle for 45°, 60°, 90° elbows and custom angles
• Clean cuts: Hydraulic shearing action produces minimal burr — less finishing work
• Consistent quality: Every gore identical — elbows assemble smoothly with minimal gap

Elbow Production Process

1. Cut spiral duct to required gore length
2. Place duct in gorelocker, set angle
3. Hydraulic cutter slices wedge-shaped gore
4. Rotate duct, repeat for required number of gores
5. Assemble gores into elbow, seal seams

View Hydraulic Elbow Machine →

Electric Elbow Making Machine: Lightweight and Affordable

The Electric Elbow Making Machine uses an electric motor and gearbox to drive the cutting mechanism. It's lighter, more affordable, and quieter than hydraulic models — perfect for small shops or low-volume elbow production with standard 0.5–1.0mm material.

• Affordable: Lower upfront cost than hydraulic models
• Quieter: No hydraulic pump noise — better for shop environment
• Lighter: Easier to move and reposition in the shop
• Simple maintenance: Motor and gearbox are sealed — minimal upkeep
• Good for standard material: Handles 0.5–1.0mm galvanized — the most common duct material

View Electric Elbow Machine →

How to Choose

1. Material thickness? ≤1.0mm → Electric works fine. ≤1.5mm or thick material → Hydraulic only
2. Daily elbow volume? >20 elbows/day → Hydraulic (faster, more consistent). <20/day → Electric is sufficient
3. Diameter range? ≤1200mm → both work. Up to 1600mm → Hydraulic only
4. Shop environment? Noise-sensitive → Electric is quieter. Already noisy shop → Hydraulic is fine
5. Budget? Electric is lower cost, but Hydraulic offers more capability and longer service life

Elbow Output: From 20 a Day to 120 a Shift

Elbows are the most labour-intensive fitting in round duct work. Hand-forming an elbow — cutting gore segments, rolling each one, then fitting and seaming — is slow and the result depends heavily on who is doing it. A gorelocker changes both numbers.

Hydraulic at $12,200 versus electric. The hydraulic machine's advantage is force and repeatability: it holds the gore segment firmly through the whole forming stroke, so segment geometry does not vary across the batch. That is what produces the ±0.5–1° angle accuracy, and it is why installers stop asking for adjustment on site. The electric machine is lighter, simpler and cheaper to buy — entirely adequate when you are producing 60–90 elbows a shift and your customers are not measuring angles.

Read the payback in labour, not in elbow price. Going from 20 hand-formed elbows to 120 machine-formed elbows is a sixfold increase with the same single operator. If you currently have two people on fittings, one of them moves to other work. At $25/hour loaded, that is roughly $50,000 a year against a $12,200 machine — payback around three months.

Diameter Range, Segments and Material Limits

Two specifications determine whether a gorelocker will handle your work: the diameter range it can form and how many gore segments it produces per elbow.

• Diameter range. Check both ends. A machine covering 100–1600 mm handles essentially all commercial round duct; confirm the upper limit against your largest industrial job before ordering.
• Segment count. Standard elbows are built from three to five gore segments depending on diameter and the required centreline radius. More segments give a smoother airflow path and lower pressure loss, at the cost of more seams to close.
• Material thickness. Confirm the machine forms the thickest material you run. Thicker stainless in particular needs more force than a machine specified only for galvanised will deliver.
• Angle range. Most machines cover 45–180°. Confirm 90° and 45° are both freely settable, since those two dominate every order book.

A note on pressure loss. A well-formed multi-segment elbow has a materially lower pressure-loss coefficient than a sharply mitred one. On long runs with many fittings, that difference shows up in fan sizing and running cost — worth mentioning to customers who are comparing bids on total system efficiency rather than unit price.

Tooling Changeover and Size Range

Group your elbow work by diameter band. A changeover every few parts costs more in time than the parts themselves; batching by size is the single biggest throughput lever on a gorelocker.