Roll forming is a progressive process that passes a metal strip through a series of specially shaped roller dies to form, ultimately, a desired roll formed profile. Strip stock is fed through successive pairs of contoured rolls that progressively form the workpiece to meet the desired specifications.
The roll forming process characteristics include:
- Its common usage to mass produce mass long metal pieces with relatively close tolerances,
- The utilization of ductile workpiece materials, softer metals,
- The capability to produce desired workpieces at a forming speed of 100 feet per minute (fpm),
- Its strong suitability to produce decorative and structural metal products often for roofing and siding.
The illustration that follows provides a look at a typical progressive roll forming die process showing a strip of metal being progressively shaped by the pairs of mated rolls of roll. It is normal to find roll forming stations with 10 to 12 stages before the material achieves the final desired roll formed shape or profile.
As the metal strip is moved through the drawing process, it is exposed to a series of progressive die stations, each one changing the metal configuration left on the metal by the previous station. Therefore, the metal workpiece is created in a series of stamping stages.
To achieve the desired roll formed profile, sets of mated dies are constructed. The size of the rolls is dependant upon the material to be formed, the material thickness, and the formability of the material required.
The most common materials used in the progressive roll forming process include aluminum and steel, including many alloys of each.
View an overview of roll forming services any of the metal forming processes offered by Advantage Fabricated Metals, or view a full table that matches the metals to the metal fabricating services we offer.
For more information about metal forming, metal fabricating, and welding services we provide, please fill out our contact form or call us at 07 5476 8466.