North America's largest metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing event heads to Orange County Convention Center in October 2024. FABTECH provides a convenient "one stop shop" venue where you can meet with world-class suppliers, see the latest industry products and developments, and find the tools to improve productivity, increase profits and discover new solutions to all of your metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing needs.
North America's Largest Metal Forming, Fabricating, Welding and Finishing Event
By Brian Rodgers, Application Engineer at Formtek on on
Do you know the roll forming process? Have you heard about the roll forming process? Why do they call this metal forming process a “black art?” These question will be answered this year in the educational classes at FABTECH 2019.
Learning the basics of the roll forming process you can add additional tools to your toolbox to manufacture products efficiently. Roll forming is a great solution to manufacturing consistent cross sections at high volumes. The ability to form materials like aluminum, stainless steel, HSLA, commercial steel, and any other material that can withstand in the bending is just one of the benefits of the roll forming process. The roll form process can be a simple small machine to a large complex process.
Learning the basics of the roll forming process will describe the many types of roll formers and the strengths of these machines. The different machines are matched with different products to create the best economical solution. These basics also help understand the benefits of the roll forming process and allow companies to utilize this to make the best product at the best manufacturing cost.
The world is changing and so is the workforce. The days of having endless skilled workers is over. Today many companies are struggling with the generation gap on the production floor and the need for skilled workers is rising. The roll forming process also recognizes this and using a roll forming process company’s can reduce the need for skilled workers by utilizing the roll forming process. Through the advancements in electrical controls and monitoring the consistency of roll former today is better than ever before. The ability to repeat set ups over and over and have documentation has finally arrived.
When needed the roll forming process can be expanded to utilize many other processes to make a complex roll form line to produce products with low labor requirements. Adding a press operation, welding operation, or both can turn a basic roll form line into a value added roll form line with low labor requirements. These advantages allow for lower manufacturing cost and the ability to compete in a global market.
Roll forming is no longer the “black art” and it should not be the lost manufacturing process. Once you see the basics, the justification, and the ability to expand the roll form lines with other processes you will be able to benefit by manufacturing products with the metal forming process of roll forming.
Hear more from Brian at his presentations “Roll Forming Basics” , “Justification for Roll Forming“, and “Advanced Roll Forming Techniques“.
FABTECH 2024
About the Expo
North America's largest metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing event heads to Orange County Convention Center in October 2024. FABTECH provides a convenient "one stop shop" venue where you can meet with world-class suppliers, see the latest industry products and developments, and find the tools to improve productivity, increase profits and discover new solutions to all of your metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing needs.
