FOCUS ON ROLL FORMING
Image: DALLAN.
“ The rollers are precision-contoured metal dies that shape the incoming sheet metal. In most cases, they are also the powered drive rolls that pull the strip through the roll forming unit. These rollers can be as simple as the cylindrical rollers used to roll luggage through airport scanners, or they can take on more intricate shapes. After the final forming station, the strip is sheared to the ordered product length. Typically, no additional work is needed before shipment, since the final form has been achieved,” it added.
Roll-formed Venetian blinds.
Each pair of rollers further forms the metal strip until it reaches the desired cross-sectional shape at the end of the line, ready to be cut into the appropriate length. The more complex the profile shape, the more pairs of rollers required. The finished form is generally referred to as a rolled profile, roll-formed( custom) profile, custom profile, steel profile or metal section.
“ In addition to open profiles, closed crosssections can also be produced with rollforming. With joining technologies, such as laser welding and HF welding, the metal strip’ s edges are brought together and welded shut. This is done as an integral part of roll forming, so that steel tubes with complex closed crosssections can be produced cost-effectively,” added roll forming specialist, Welser Profile.
A versatile process
There are many advantages to roll forming. Because of the“ assembly line” efficiency of roll forming, long lengths of metal can be produced and cut in large quantities, which reduces cost. Secondary processes( such as punching or even welding) can be integrated into a single production line. The profiles that can be produced using roll-formed sheet steel are similar to that seen in extruded aluminium.
Custom profiles can be( re) produced in large lengths consistently, and with high quality. Additionally, since features such as holes, slots or embossing can be easily added during the forming process, roll forming is considered a highly cost-effective way to produce robust, multi-functional shapes in large quantities. Rollforming is a popular alternative to aluminium extrusion when the material properties of steels are required, or where adding the features into the aluminium profile is a costly secondary process.
“ Roll forming is a fantastic way to costeffectively add features along a longitudinal profile that wouldn’ t be possible with extrusion, for example. Slits, holes, embossing or even pierce-clinch nuts can be added before or after the sheet metal strip runs through the rollers and is formed, with the advantage that the profile itself can fulfil several functions and still be processed with precision and high quality. Designers and product developers have the opportunity here to combine several components into one, establishing a more sustainable product development process,” outlined Welser Profile.
“ Since several process steps can be linked in one production run and several functions can be integrated in the same profile at once, you can increase the economic efficiency of the entire manufacturing process. Final processes( such as punching holes) can be done simultaneously without the extra cost of temporary storage or transportation. Additionally, a single multifunctional custom profile can replace a combination of several assemblies. In times of raw material scarcity, sustainable supply chains and scrap recycling also represent a cost factor that carries weight with a responsible supplier,” it added.
The variety of process steps( stamping, bending, cutting, shaping etc.) possible with roll forming also allows for customisation of the process chain, saving time and resources. It enables the direct delivery of the semifinished part or the finished component straight from the system to the customer, where it can be immediately installed.
“ The roll forming process makes creating lighter-weight steel parts easier, since the wall thickness can be targeted based upon the structural needs of the component. Parts can be rolled even if a finish or paint has been applied. While hot forming can produce similarly complex profiles, roll forming is a room temperature process. As such, it avoids the distortion risk associated with hot forming, while being more energy-efficient at the same time,” highlighted National Material Company( NMC).
Roll forming is capable of producing millions of metres of precise, tight-tolerance custom profiles. The more that can be produced in one run, the better. The higher the quantity, the more profitable it becomes.
A sustainable choice
Roll forming is also an energy-efficient process, helping to reduce emissions of CO 2
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One of the key environmental benefits of custom roll forming lies in its efficient use of materials. By producing parts with a constant cross-sectional profile, the roll forming process minimises material waste and optimises the use of resources. The degree of material utilisation in roll forming is generally very high compared to other forming processes. Roll-formed products are often made from recyclable metals which can be repurposed at the end of their life cycle, further supporting sustainable manufacturing processes.
“ Roll-formed steel profiles are extremely economical and ecological alternatives for materials such as extruded aluminium profiles, PET or composites such as polyurethane,” added UK roll forming specialist, the Hadley Group.
Roll forming can incorporate cutting, punching and other secondary operations inline, eliminating the need for additional, separate processes that may consume more energy. The process is often highly automated, enhancing production efficiency and resulting in lower energy consumption overall. Rollforming can also accommodate a variety of eco-friendly and sustainable finishes( such as low-VOC coatings) further contributing to environmentally responsible manufacturing. Sustainable roll forming processes are possible through intelligent scrap avoidance. Planned scrap rates of significantly less than 1 % of the material used are already within the realms of feasibility in roll forming today, roll forming specialist DREISTERN told ISMR. There are also robust approaches in rollforming for the minimisation of unplanned scrap.
“ We use modern drive and control technology, as well as servo technology, to increase the energy efficiency of roll forming production. Functions such as residual strip processing, automatic good and bad part recognition, scrap-optimised cutting or wastefree part changing reduce the proportion of
Roll forming line.
scrap to a minimum. Additional energy-saving functions include intelligent switch-on / switchoff functions or reversing optimisation for our flying cut-off machines. Intelligent retrofitting solutions, such as adding a skinpass station, also make a decisive contribution to increasing the degree of material utilisation,” it explained.
By optimising material usage; improving energy efficiency; limiting manufacturing waste; incorporating eco-friendly materials and driving sustainability across various industries, roll forming can help manufacturers to minimise their environmental footprint. n
Image: DREISTERN.
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