Try Metal Roll Forming For High-Quality Heat Pump Parts

The HVAC industry is witnessing a surge in heat pump popularity.

Sales of heat pumps are outstripping gas furnaces for home air-to-air models in the United States. This means more people are choosing heat pumps over gas furnaces for their homes. 

Heat pumps are becoming a popular choice for heating and cooling in residential buildings in the US. Specialized cold-climate models are emerging, expanding heat pump use in previously resistant regions.

This trend extends globally, with heat pumps addressing over 70% of building sector heating needs. Financial incentives drive sales in over 30 countries. As heat pump adoption accelerates, so too does the demand for efficient production methods.

Enter roll forming: a smarter solution for manufacturing heat pump parts. 

Read on to see why roll forming is the perfect fit for this growing market.

Roll Forming Heat Pump Parts

Heat pumps, including air-source and mini-split ductless models, consist of many metal parts. Roll forming is one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to produce the components of a heat pump.

Roll forming can produce many parts of a heat pump, including:

• Cabinets 
• Rails 
• Vertical pieces 
• Protective cases (subframes and all components)

• Structural chassis 
• Outside coverings
• Mounting hardware

Here's why roll forming is perfect for heat pumps:

• Precision Parts, Perfect Fit: Roll forming creates identical parts every time. This ensures a seamless fit and top performance in your heat pump.
• Fast and Efficient: This speedy process keeps up with the rising demand for heat pumps
• Cost-Effective: Roll forming produces parts quickly and in large quantities, saving manufacturers money as they scale up production.

What Is Roll Forming?

Roll forming involves passing a coiled flat sheet of metal through a series of mated roll dies. These gradually shape it into a uniform profile with multiple bends.

This process is useful for producing parts with complex shapes and intricate details.

Partnering with an experienced roll former nets you these advantages as well as efficiencies in:

• Forming
• Cost
• Inventory management 

See behind the scenes at a roll forming line:

Forming

Roll forming bends and shapes metal easily. It can handle complex shapes and cuts, making it perfect for diverse heat pump parts. In particular, it excels at:

• Channels (U, C, J, box, hat)
• Parts with complex, cross-sectional shapes
• Parts with intricate patterns
• Parts with continuous lengths of 20+ ft. (Part length is flexible. You can make parts as long as you can handle or ship them, and as long as there's enough material on the coil.)

Roll forming also incorporates in-line punching features like:

• Holes
• Notches
• Slots
• Embossments

Designing these elements into your custom heat pump parts eliminates expensive secondary operations. In doing so, roll forming lowers production costs and significantly slashes lead times.

Roll forming makes parts extremely precise. Some parts can be accurate to within 0.005 inches. Overall part lengths can be accurate within +/- 0.020 inches.

Cost

Roll forming’s cost-efficiency makes it a preferred manufacturing method in many industries. 

OEMs realize gains when they partner with roll forming corporations that optimize:

• Setup time – varies based on how intricate the heat pump part is. More complex shapes take longer to set up the machines
• Run speed – the faster the roll forming machine runs, the cheaper your components. Speed depends on part complexity and length (longer parts run quicker since the cutoff cycle speed is not a constraint)
• Raw materials – can be anywhere from 40-80% of the final cost

Roll forming is highly efficient, producing minimal scrap—typically only 0.5% to 3%. This efficiency leads to significant material cost savings for heat pump manufacturers. 

Other roll forming cost-efficiencies result from: 

• Little tool maintenance – producing features in a continuous, rotating motion reduces tool wear
• The ability to form high-strength, low-alloy (HSLA) steel – cheaper than alternative manufacturing methods like hot stamping
• Less human error – compared to other metal forming processes, roll forming requires less human labor
• Order flexibility – low volumes (10,000 to 20,000 linear feet per year) can be cost-effective depending on the design
  

Inventory Management

The best roll formers practice lean manufacturing to limit waste and reduce cost – and a major component of that is the Kanban method of inventory management.

Kanban is all about providing the right amount of inventory in the right place at the right time. 

Determining inventory levels requires thoughtful balance. Having too little material on hand creates delays. Having too much inventory wastes money. Roll forming helps by minimizing waste, so you don't need to keep a huge inventory.

This eliminates excess inventory, which typically ties up:

• Labor
• Money
• Energy
• Equipment
• Space

Reducing excess inventory frees up your resources to make your process more efficient.

Partnering With a Roll Former For heat pump parts

Looking to capitalize on the growing demand for heat pumps? Roll forming provides an efficient and cost-effective method for producing the metal components you’ll need.

Partner with an experienced roll former who integrates secondary forming operations, minimizes raw material waste, and provides tried-and-true inventory management. You’ll get precise, reliable parts at significant cost savings.

Using roll forming for heat pump parts production can help your OEM grow, save costs, and boost efficiency in the booming heat pump market.

Ready to Learn More? 

Learn more about finding the right partner to source your parts. Check out our guide to partnering with a roll former: 

(Editor's note: This article was originally written in July 2023 and was recently updated.)