How to Configure a Roll Forming Line to Produce Long-Thickness Parts
A roll forming line can be one of the most efficient production lines for long-thickness materials. With the ability to form and punch metal, a line can produce a lot more finished parts in 24 hours than even the fastest robotic brake cell.
But every line has its quirks and it’s important to consider the manufacturing standards for the various pieces that make up a roll forming line.
Pre-cut shears
There are two typical ways a roll forming line can be configured to produce length-specific formed parts. One method is pre-cutting, which cuts the steel coil before it enters the roll former. The other is post-cutting, which uses a profiled shear to cut the formed part after it’s been roll formed. Both methods have definite advantages and will depend on your production requirements.
The shears on a roll forming line are called flying shears or cut-off dies and come in many types and variations. They are used to quickly and accurately cut the finished part to a specific length. They are typically designed with contoured blades and have a short stroke length to help reduce shear and cutting fatigue. These shears are a critical component of the continuous operation of a roll forming line.
A well-designed and correctly timed flying shear can greatly reduce downtime and maintenance issues associated with buckling panels. Panels that buckle roll forming line may jam the line or cause damage to the shear blade or cutoff die.
In addition to reducing downtime, an effective shear can also increase productivity by eliminating the need for manual handling of parts. This can be especially beneficial with long, complex profiles like Cee or Zee purlin or double-high rafted roll forming lines. Depending on the application, it might be helpful to include a conveyor after the shear that can remove blanks before they enter the decoiler.
Decoilers
Decoilers (or uncoilers) are a key part of any roll forming line. They are used to clamp and decoil metal coils that feed into the line’s other machinery. They can be either manual or electric, and they can handle a wide range of widths and thicknesses of coils.
These machines remove the metal’s tendency to stay coiled, called “coil set.” They also straighten the coils so they will not drag on the floor as they are fed into production equipment.
This is an extremely valuable tool for companies that manufacture a variety of parts, because it allows them to cut slugs of material from the coil instead of cutting the entire slug on a shear. This reduces production time, and it saves the company money on cutting supplies.
In addition to decoilers, a roll forming line can use a number of other tools to speed up the process. These include a front-end decoiler, which is capable of handling different coils on the same machine. It can be single- or double-ended, and it can hold coils up to 40,000 lbs.
Other methods for quick changeover include decoiler loop guides, which control the shape of the slug as it is threaded into the decoiler. This helps ensure the right lag and synchronization between the decoiler and the straightener, and it can also help to prevent the decoiler from dragging on the floor or common mounting base.
Coil car and upender
Coil cars and upenders are useful tools on a channel roll forming machine roll forming line that help push up productivity. They are used to load coils into the decoiler, and they can take some of the labor out of that process by eliminating the need for a crane or fork truck. They also remove the chance of the sensitive metal being scratched in transit from storage to a decoiler, which could result in a costly delay and a wasted coil of material.
These two systems can also help with changeovers for a broad range of part geometries. Depending on the technology, the system may be able to make adjustments to punch patterns and other attributes on-the-fly to compensate for changes in part geometry, tolerance requirements or material characteristics. These adjustments can be made automatically or by manual operator input.
This helps reduce the amount of time it takes to swap out tool sets, which often accounts for much of a plant’s overhead costs. Some manufacturers are able to offer quick changeovers by using rafted lines, where entire groups of upper tools are preset in a raft and can be lifted into place quickly. This doesn’t eliminate all of the labor involved in a changeover, but it does speed up the process considerably, allowing a single worker to handle multiple jobs on a line with minimal downtime.
Punching or cut-off stations
A key component of many roll forming lines is equipment that punches holes, notches, or slots into the metal strip. This is called prepunching, and it eliminates secondary fabrication steps that can add time to the cycle and cost to the final product. In addition, it allows for a greater number of holes or other features to be completed without compromising the integrity of the formed part or increasing the difficulty of achieving a high-quality result.
Punching occurs either before or between forming stations, depending on the part geometry and tolerance requirements. Some parts may require a punch before or between forming to prevent undesirable stretching, and others, like those that use louvers, countersinks, or tapping holes, need them to be finished after forming. This allows for a more consistent, aesthetically pleasing part and helps ensure that the holes are properly positioned to accept taps.
Every line also has one or more cut-off dies to cut the strip to length once it’s been shaped and formed. The dies can be stationary, or they can ride on tracks mounted to the bases of the ram and bolster. The latter are known as flying dies and increase the flexibility of a roll forming line, allowing it to switch between different hole patterns on the same part or change the length of a profile with minimal downtime or tooling changes.
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