The process of roll forming has made it easier and more economical to manufacture high strength stainless steel sections used for structural support in pipes and building equipment. A cut off press is also used with roll forming machinery to cut the formed steel struts to required lengths. The cut off press is also used for piercing, notching, bending, embossing, and other operations. 

Steel Strut Metal Forming

Typically, pre-piercing presses are applied to drill holes or to make notches, dimples, embossments in the flat strip or partially formed channels of steel. Most of the roll forming equipment have one pre-piercing press though some machines have three to four presses.  In such cases two to three rolling mills are combined in a single line to manufacture more complex parts. The maximum speed of the roll forming line is limited by the largest number of press hits per minute. This is why high capacity and relatively fast presses should be used for pre-piercing and for cutting the pieces to required length. To obviate product buckling and/or distortion of the stainless steel strut during cutting, the cut-off die should be accelerated to the speed of the roll formed section when the material is cut through. Different methods are used to sense the length to be cut and accelerate the die. The combination of the length sensing system, die accelerator and other components will also have an effect on length tolerance.

Roll forming being a flexible process makes it simpler to combine other operations for superior finish of metals. With the cut off press, roll forming machines produce high quality steel struts in most cost effective way. 

Metal stamping, extruding and press brake forming are some metal forming techniques that have been used to produce different metal parts. All these processes however have certain shortcomings due to which they often fail to fabricate metal parts of desired quality. Roll Forming is an alternative technique in which a strip of metal usually in coil form is continuously passed through a series of roller dies to progressively form a desired shape. It permits consistent adherence to close tolerances and can produce the precise shapes and dimensions as per requirements. 

Roll Forming Machines

A Roll forming machine can be used to fabricate metal parts of galvanized steel, stainless steel and carbon steel. Apart from forming steel, the bending machines employed in roll forming can fabricate sheets of brass, copper, zinc and titanium. 

High strength steel used in shelving, framing, appliance manufacturing and for the production of studs and tracks, is also fabricated through roll forming. 

Roll Forming is also the most economical choice for many companies that want to streamline their production process and reduce overall cost. The high-speed continuous nature of this metal forming technique is especially beneficial for large volumes. The process also incorporates a number of secondary operations in one line. Savings are thus realised through the need for fewer component parts, fewer post-production operations and reduced manufacturing cost. A custom roll forming equipment can also deliver finished shapes, cut to exact length for assembly in production. This frees up valuable manufacturing space in the plant and completely eliminates scrap loss. 

Steel framing solutions are ideal for construction of strong buildings in high wind speed and seismic zones including the US eastern seaboard, the Gulf coast states, California and Hawaii. 

Commercial steel framing lowers the construction costs as: 

• Warranty costs are minimized – steel does not shrink, split or warp. Due to this, there are no nail pops or drywall cracks to fix once the structure is completed. 
• Consistent quality implies that scrap is drastically reduced. As against cold formed steel, there are costs involved in jobsite culling of wood materials, haul off costs and the disposal of discarded material. 
• Discounts on builders risk insurance for buildings constructed with light steel framing result in significant cost savings for builders.

Light gauge steel framing is easier to handle and consumers also recognize steel as a superior framing product for its fundamental characteristics including low maintenance costs and high resistance to rot, mould, termite and insect infestation. Steel framing has proven performance in high wind and seismic zones. 

Roll forming is the most effective metal fabrication process for the production of light gauge steel framing members. Structural-quality sheet steel is formed into shapes by roll-forming the metal through a series of dies. Unlike hot-formed structural I-beams, the process does not require heat to form the shape and therefore fabricates “cold-formed” steel. Steel stud roll forming machines typically fall in two categories – outboard and inboard mills. Outboard mills have housings that support both ends of roll tooling shafts. If the shafts are supported only at one end, the roll forming mill is said to be of inboard variety. 

Light gauge steel products produced by roll former machines are stronger, faster to produce, and cost less than their hot-formed counter-parts. They prove to be the most suitable and cost effective solutions for commercial steel framing. 

While using roll forming for metal fabrication, many manufacturers fail to give adequate attention to the lubricant used in the process. However, it is important to use the right lubricant for the material being roll formed. In roll forming and metal stamping, the lubricants impact the material surfaces and using the wrong lubricant can severely impact the quality of finished material. 

Used Roll Former

It has been observed in roll forming that generally inactive surfaces, such as cold-rolled steel and hot-rolled steel, are compatible with most ferrous metal lubricants, as long as the lubricants are stable. However for active surfaces, the overriding factor is compatibility of lubricant to material. It is important to comprehend the properties of the lubricant used to form the different types of galvanized coatings. 

Cold Forming Tools

The lubricant used with the roll forming machine must be stable and must not have extreme pressure agents. Apart from roll formed steel, metals like aluminium, copper, and brass also need to be protected against surface rusting and staining. 

The finishing process at the end of roll forming operation usually determines the type of preservative coating to be used for the metal component. A good lubricant also makes the secondary operations of the roll forming machine more effective. These include pre-punching, post-punching, cut-off and welding. 

The process equipment maintenance is also impacted by the lubricant selection process. Grease used in the roll stand bearings must be compatible with the coolant being used. Synthetic and chemical solutions can wash out conventional greases and this is why only chemical resistant greases must be used with roll forming machines. 

Good selection of the lubricants used for roll forming process can really ensure smoother and more efficient operations.

Corrugated metal sheets are used for roofing as they are light weight and remain sturdy for years when installed and maintained properly. The process employed in manufacturing roof panel is also important in determining its overall quality. Roll forming is a technique that can be used to produce panel roofing sheets of corrugated galvanized steel, zinc blended with silicon-coated steel and aluminium, stainless steel and also copper.

Standing Seem Roll Formers

Roll forming machine uses a combination of different techniques to add extra strength and rigidity to each rib panel, making the final metal roof durable and resistant to extremes of weather conditions. A corrugated metal panel is produced by the roll forming machinery in which long strip of metal is passed through a set of rolls mounted on consecutive stands. Each stand performs only an incremental part of the bend until the desired cross sectional profile is obtained and every stand must generate the appropriate amount of deformation for which it was designed. Generally, the level of deformation at each stand is not constant due to adjustments for spring-back and the preservation of dimension. Since the tooling is designed to control the outside dimensions of a panel, roll former usually overworks the metal in specific stands. Smooth roll forming operation provides uniform metal deformation throughout the line.

Roll forming has been a major contributor to the widespread use of coated sheets for building panels including metal roof panel. It significantly enhances panel stiffness and also provides an improved architectural appearance while disguising the joining seams.

Making Roll Forming process more efficient 

As a metal fabrication technique, roll forming is preferred by increasing number of manufactures in the industry because of its ability to produce metal components of different shapes in the same roll mill. It is also a low cost technique that gives superior surface finish to metal components. Roll forming equipment can also integrate additional operations in the line. These include notching, piercing welding, and embossing. 

Used Roll Former

In roll forming for roofing components, some manufactures may face unique challenges. These include the demand for tighter profile tolerances, wider product ranges and compressed lead times. The manufactures using older equipment need to adopt more flexible systems to produce a wider range of products. 

An important step in improving the quality of roll formed roof framing components is the repair or upgrade of coil handling equipment. Keeping the production line fed always has a major impact on the productivity of the roll forming machine. This has become even more important now with the introduction of high-speed punching systems and quick change roll formers. With emphasis on reduced lead-times and just-in-time or JIT manufacturing philosophies, the number of daily coil changes has increased. 

Roll Forming Equipment

Running a complete coil is no longer the practice. Many producers have to run a few parts and then switch to another coil as they need to produce more components to order than components to stock. 

Different types of coil handling are now available to help manage the process and improve productivity. Coil storage racks, rotating turnstiles, and coil cars are designed help production personnel stage coils into and away from the production areas. Coil management software can also be used to streamline the flow of orders into manageable units that help the operator balance flexibility and productivity. 

With the use of right technique and latest equipment, manufacturers can reap maximum benefits of roll forming. 

Roll Forming 

Several metal fabrication processes can be used to produce the sheets of metals used in appliance manufacturing, shelving and framing. However, roll forming has proved to be the most cost effective and technically superior process in the industry. It is the process in which either a metal sheet or a strip of metal is plastically deformed along a linear axis by being passed through a series of roller dies that progressively shape and contour the metal. 

Roll Forming Machines

Roll forming proves to be a superior technique as compared to metal stamping which remained a process of choice for years. The main drawback of metal stamping is its inability to produce long parts, which customers now often look for. The solar market is just one example that created demand for metal parts more than 20 feet long. But the largest stamping presses can fabricate parts only about 84 inch long.

A metal such as high strength steel can be more effectively produced with the help of a roll forming machine. Such steel is difficult to stamp because of spring-back, which implies that the material tries to return to its original shape after the forming process. Controlling spring back requires additional equipment and tooling cost. The spring-back can also interfere with a stamper’s ability to deliver high-tolerance parts. 

Roll forming can handle high-strength materials easily because of its slow forming speed made possible with specially designed roll form tooling. Some typical industries that use metal manufactured through roll forming include office furniture, electronics, construction, electrical, housing and automotive industries.  

The roll formed corrugated metal panels used for roofing provide a good strength and durability to the roof structure. Apart from being strong and durable, the metal rib panel roofs are also affordable and quick to install which makes them popular for the construction of industrial and commercial buildings.

For installation, roll formed metal panels are delivered in bundles and should always be stored in a dry and safe area. Before starting with installation, the user must check for the following:

• The entire structure or portion to be sheeted should be correctly aligned and levelled.
• Purlins and sheeting rails must have correct spacing and should be within specified tolerances.
• There should not be any protrusions such as bolt heads, splice plates, cleats on the face of the framework.
• The contact faces between the purlins and the cladding should be in the same plane. If the alignment is inadequate, the user should request for instructions from the engineer before proceeding with the installation of roofing.

If cutting of the sheet onsite is necessary, an angle grinder with a small tooth blade or disc should be used for same. Care should be taken to achieve a cut with minimal damage to the roofing sheet. Reciprocating nibblers are also widely used in the roofing and decking industry and these produce an excellent cut.

While cutting a metal rib panel, care should be taken to protect the sheet from debris. If possible, cutting should be done on the ground and not over other coated material. The corrugated metal panels should be placed facing down on padded supports. Cutting should never be done on top of other painted surfaces.

Once installed, roll formed metal panels prove very effective for roofing and hardly require any maintenance.

Corrugated metal panels used in roofing are light weight and remain sturdy for years if installed and maintained properly. These are usually made with roll formed metals such as corrugated galvanized steel, zinc blended with silicon-coated steel and aluminium, stainless steel and also copper.

Metal roofing has numerous advantages. It is light weight, durable, weather resistant and also portable. Corrugated metal panels can be used to cover large buildings due to their high strength to weight ratio. A metal rib panel also makes the roof fire and spark resistant. Metal roofing, decking and siding is also the choice of builders, architects and engineers due to the wide array of design options they offer. They prove to be a practical and economical choice for any construction project.

Roll forming, the metal fabrication technique used for the production of metal panels used in roofing provides extra strength and rigidity to each rib panel, making the metal roof durable and resistant to extremes of weather conditions. It is the metal forming process that progressively bends and shapes a sheet, strip or coiled stock of metal into shapes of essentially identical cross sectional profile. The metal is fed between successive pairs of rolls that increasingly shape it until the required cross section is obtained. Adding strength and rigidity to light weight materials is simple when the technique of roll forming is employed for their fabrication.

The roll forming process easily handles ferrous, nonferrous, hot rolled, cold rolled, polished, plated, or pre-painted metals to produce excellent results. Materials as thin as 0.005 inch and as thick as 0.750 inch can be roll formed. Material pieces as narrow as 1/8 inch and as wide as 72 inches, or more, can also be fabricated by roll forming.

Strut channels are standardised roll formed steel structural systems used in high rise construction, automotive and electrical industries for structural support and are also used in wiring, plumbing and numerous mechanical components. Roll forming is considered the most effective metal forming process to manufacture steel struts. In the metal working industry, it is also known as the cold rolling process as the metal parts can be formed at room temperature.

In large projects, the cost of producing cold rolled sheets for steel struts is easily overcome by the sheer volume that can be produced. Roll forming also makes its easier to fabricate parts of longer lengths than can be produced through other metal forming processes like press braking. Also, the press brake process calls for test blanks which become scrap. This adds to the cost of complex projects.

Cold roll forming is the most economical and effective technique to fabricate high strength steel struts. The process employs a series of matching profile rolls driven in multiple stands, through which metal strips are passed without applying any heat. Each pair of rolls progressively shapes the metal and the final pair produces the required profile. The cold roll forming process produces a strain hardening effect in steel channels to improve the yield strength. The process raises the yield strength of full sections to as high as 70 per cent more than virgin metal yield strength.

The stainless steel channels produced in rolling mills are also lighter in weight than those fabricated by extrusion, press braking and other metal fabrication techniques in the metal working industry. Roll forming has also proved to be an effective technique for the fabrication of aluminium, brass, copper, titanium and bronze based metal parts.