Getting a comprehensive understanding of roll formed parts and the process can be challenging – especially if you’re new to the method.
The best way to gain knowledge on the topic is by diving into real-world examples. In this article, we’ll explore seven prime roll forming products that you may not realize are roll formed parts.
Roll forming products are all around you. Just look at the buildings and infrastructure you pass by every day:
For data centers, commercial retail, and higher-ed buildings, the power distribution system is vital infrastructure. These systems are highly proprietary and implemented by thousands of feet per project. Consequently, custom roll formed parts are critical in both current-carrying and non-current-carrying equipment.
Why does roll forming play an important role?
Roll forming allows for huge volumes, tolerance control, complex profiles, and specialized materials like tin-plated copper, unlike other manufacturing methods.
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Warehouses go hand in hand with power distribution. Yet they still deserve a separate mention, because they’re filled (to the max) with old-school roll formed shapes like angles and channels.
The large corporations of the world need these angle and channel components for:
Without roll formed parts, warehouse distribution wouldn’t be able to function at the incredible level and capacity it does today.
Sheet metal roll forming is great for these industries because it produces parts at high volumes, allows for in-line hole punching, and offers tight tolerance control.
Roll forming is used extensively in the commercial food storage industry. It creates the components that go into refrigerators and freezers including:
Why choose roll forming for commercial food storage?
Roll forming offers complex profiles, tricky hole patterns, and tight tolerances for final assembly.
These components include:
Roll forming allows for proprietary designs, large volumes, and the use of specialized materials. Roll forming also offers in-line punching to allow for easy field assembly.
Train cars consist of some of the longest, most uniformly shaped components known to man, reaching up to 80 feet long. While train manufacturing is a niche market, from exterior to interior, roll forming is the only way to produce these parts:
Let’s start with cargo trailers and delivery trucks. Every type of roll formed channel can be used to build the interior framing/skeleton for the cabs on these things. Also, you’re likely to see some stainless steel trim on the exterior of high-end trailers. The same goes for 18-wheelers, but those also have giant wheel fenders, which are made with a very specific type of roll form machine.
Why is roll forming the preferred method?
Hat and box channels make sturdy, lightweight frames, some parts are finish-critical, and fenders are very wide.
Ever think about the millions of miles of guard rail that exist on this planet? Much like wheel fenders, roll form companies with dedicated machines produce guard rails at incredible speeds, making them extremely low cost and abundant.
Lastly, the same existential question applies to road signposts. While they can be cold-formed, these posts are most commonly made via “hot” roll forming. In this metal forming process, steel rails are heated to 2300°F before passing through the roll dies.
In the examples above, custom roll formed shapes are particularly useful due to their ability to be produced at a rapid pace while maintaining design accuracy. Yet it’s also ideal for parts with multi-bend profiles, or those that require high-end finishes.
Hole punching, bending, and cutting to length are all easy to fit into one continuous process, rather than separate steps. In all of these cases, it’s simply more cost-effective and productive to use this tried-and-true method of metal forming.
We hope this list helps you determine if that part you’re designing could ultimately be roll formed. But if you are still uncertain, send us a drawing for a quick compatibility review from our team.
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(This article was originally published in October 2018 and was recently updated.)