What is the roll forming machine?
A roll forming machine may appear to be an extremely complex machine with a wide range of stations and high speeds. It’s worth knowing how it works because it can perform unique functions and consistently create the same end product that meets the strictest specifications.
To get a better idea of what a roll forming machine is doing, it’s best to break it down to study every place where the metal changes in some way — whether it’s bending, stamping, cutting or folding.
Tools functions
The rolling machine’s tools gradually change the shape of the metal each time a sheet is changed on the rolling line. The initial coil undergoes any number of changes before the finished product is packed to the other end.
Molding is done by rolling tool steel rollers over the work metal. Each roll continuously changes the shape of the sheet metal as it moves along the production line. Eventually, as the amount of bending or folding required increases, more wheels or molds are needed to make it happen.
Increasing the bending process too quickly can damage the material and make it challenging to manufacture the finished product within tolerances. Increasing the bending process too slowly will result in the need for additional dies or forming points, which will be more costly. Machines with more forming points also take up more space in the shop floor.
Punching and cutting
Roll forming lines can form, press and cut a wide variety of metals in a wide range of specifications and are used in many industries including construction. It is important to determine whether the metal should be stamped before or after forming. Stamping it after it is formed may not always be feasible or maybe more costly.
The sheet metal can be cut at specific points on the rolling forming line. It is important to determine the best place to cut because the final product will vary depending on where the cut is made.
Either way, manufacturers must consider flares and determine how molding affects it. When cutting rolled molded parts, some residual stresses are released during the process. This opens or deforms the end of the part. This is called a terminal flare. If the component is formed in the pre-cut roll forming process, the stress may be greater than the component formed in the post-cut roll forming process.
Rolling forming tools
Any time a metal plate is replaced on the rolling line, it is done by the rolling machine’s tools. Forming on a roll forming machine takes place as the metal sheet rolls beneath each steel roller, changing shape continuously as the metal moves along the production line. The top reel leaves four lines of indentation in the steel, the next reel forms six lines, and the last reel makes these indentations deeper and begins to bend the two raised sections.
Bow, curve, twist
Metal defects are common and can cause problems during rolling molding. They can even occur during rolling molding.
Using steel or aluminum coils at tension levels can help. Tension straightening is the process of pulling a metal past its yield point to permanently change its shape and flatten it.
Any rolling molding operation can result in defects, so it is important to ensure that your machine is operating properly and that every change made by the machine to the metal is within acceptable tolerances (from start to finish). For example, misaligned entry guides can lead to defects.
Fortunately, the bow, deflection, and distortion can be literally corrected during rolling molding. Levelers can be part of a production line. It should be as close to the final molding process as possible. Even straightening creates tension in the metal, so it’s best not to use a straightener if you don’t need it.
Mold cooling
Roll formers today run faster than ever before, and the future is likely to require even faster operations. The problem is that when material moves at high speed, it heats up dramatically and changes shape. There are several ways to try to adjust the temperature to prevent material change.
Flood cooling extends tool life, but it’s messy. Dry cooling is cleaner than flood cooling but will shorten the mold life. This, in turn, changes the shape of the final product.
Tooling steel
Each machined material responds differently to rolling forming stress. Some materials are more malleable or softer than others. Soft materials may require fewer bending stations. Black steel, galvanized steel, color coated steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper and brass all have different reactions during rolling forming.
Leading manufacturer of the roll forming machines
Foshan Te Xiang Machinery Co., Ltd is a China leading manufacturer of metallic processing machines, including slitting line, cut to length line, stainless steel polishing line, ERW tube mill line, roll forming machines, embossing line and etc. We grant you the best level of engineering, assembling, and commissioning. If you have any questions about roll forming or are looking for the high performance roll forming machines, please feel free to send an inquiry to contact us. We will do our best to provide you with quality service.
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