FOCUS ON ROLL FORMING
Below and bottom : Roll-formed profiles ( images : Voestalpine ).
ON A ROLL
We outline the roll-forming process , as well as its benefits and applications for various industry sectors .
“ In the roll-forming process , a coil or long individual strips are fed through a rollforming line which converts the flat sheet to a contoured cross-sectional profile .”
Roll forming is a continuous process which converts sheet metal into an engineered shape using consecutive sets of mated rolls , each of which makes only incremental changes in the form . The sum of these small changes in form is a complex profile . Standard cross-section profiles or custom shapes can be produced . Production speed depends upon the speed of the rotation of the rollers and can range from 10 to over 300 metres per minute .
Roll forming is particularly cost-effective for high-volume and repeatable projects ( orders of 10,000 + parts ). The process can also be used for metal channel designs that require intricate bends ; holes ; notches ; knockouts ; labels ; stamping or embossing — or a combination of two or more of these happen in-line with no additional station necessary .
“ Extremely high productivity makes rollforming the best choice to produce a [ variety ] of high-volume profiles : drywall profiles ; metal ceilings ; rolling shutters ; tubes and pipes ; cable trays ; racking systems ; metal furniture ; Venetian blinds ; solar profiles ; guard rails and more . The rolling process ensures high repeatability with an extensive range of materials from standard DX51 to high-strength steels ,” explained Italian roll-forming specialist , DALLAN .
The roll-forming process
“ In conventional stamping , the entire part is formed all at the same time . The part shape , and especially how complex it can be , is limited when the strains from forming exceed what the metal can handle before splitting . In roll-formed parts , only a small amount of forming strain is put into the part during each station and even here , only a small section is bent at any given time . Because of this , more complex shapes can be achieved with an appropriately designed roll-forming process ,” explained the National Material Company ( NMC ).
Above and below : The roll-forming process ( images : NMC ).
44 | ismr . net | ISMR December 2023 / January 2024