What products can a roll forming machine produce in the construction industry?

Roll Forming Machine Technology in the Construction Industry

Roll forming technology is an efficient and customized metal processing method, it can produce complex cross-section profiles in the construction industry by continuous roll forming. The applications cover metal doors and metal window frames, steel structures, lightweight steel facility and modular steel framing. The following analysis focuses on both application details and key technical points.

1. Metal Door and Window Frame

Application

Roll forming is the key choice for galvanized door and steel window profile manufacturing process, the popular equipment includes door frame roll forming machines, roller shutter door making machines, door frame making machines, window frame forming machines, and U channel forming machines. The metal door frames produced by these steel roll forming machines are straight and will not twist or bend. The whole production line is controlled by PLC program with automatic cutting and punching. Normally, one set roll forming machine line includes: hydraulic de-coiler for different width and capacity, feeding & leveling device, hydraulic punching device with punching dies, main roll-forming machine, hydraulic cutting machine, and product support rack(or auto stacker). These products, made from galvanized sheet, are continuously formed into U-shaped and channel-shaped profiles, offering advantages such as aesthetically pleasing surfaces, excellent sealing properties, and easy installation.

 

Technical Highlights:

Multi-station progressive forming control: Depending on the complexity of the profile's cross-section, a 10-20-station roll dies must be designed. By distributing the deformation amount station by station (single-pass deformation rate ≤ 15%), cracking or wrinkling caused by localized stress concentration in the material is avoided. Online

Accuracy Monitoring: whole roll forming machine integrates encoder and frequency inverter for length testing / speed regulation to finish profile lengths changeable and hole distance setting.

Cold Work Hardening: Due to steel metal's deformation performance during the cold roll forming machine process, the profile's material yield strength can be increased by 20%-30% (for example, Q235 steel plate can reach strengths exceeding 300 MPa after forming), by this type of roll forming processing, steel doors and windows will not need additional heat treatment again.

 

2. Building Structural Component Processing

Application Details:

This technology is primarily used for processing temporary or light load-bearing components such as cable trays (supporting wiring in computer rooms), steel gangplanks (steps for construction platforms), and villa keels (load-bearing frames for lightweight steel structures). These machines primarily include cable tray roll forming machines, step plank roll forming machines, C purlin roll forming machines, Z purlin making machines, or M purlin making machines, and steel framing roll forming machines. For example, steel gangplanks used on construction sites require anti-slip and anti-bending properties. Normally, roll forming machine can produce metal purlins with non-slip embossing one surface by only one set automatic purlin roll forming machine line. Villa keels are roll-formed from C- and Z-shaped steel to serve as the supporting framework for walls and roofs, adapting to the rapid assembly requirements of modular construction. Installation punching can also be completed online in a single process.

 

Technical Highlights:

Automated Production Line Integration: Utilizing an integrated "un-coiler--leveling--forming--cutting--stacking" production line, a PLC control system coordinates the feed speed (10-30 m/min) with the forming cycle, minimizing manual intervention. For example, cable tray roll forming line can roll form continuously and auto cut at 6m long profiles  as we have set on control system., and the cut versatility error is less than 0.5 degree.

 

Structural Stability: For metal closed-section profiles (such as rectangular tubes), a "pre-bending--seaming---welding" hybrid process is the available and good choice now. Roll-seaming has replaced traditional welded grooves, reducing welding deformation and improving the load-bearing capacity of structural components (for example, the bending strength of steel gangplanks can reach 200MPa).

 

3. Aluminum-Magnesium Alloy Lightweight Material Application

Application Details:

Due to current trend toward lightweight construction, roll forming machine technology has gradually expanded to produce lightweight materials such as aluminum and magnesium alloys. It is used to produce components such as aluminum wall support frames (e.g., aluminum alternatives to light steel keels), roof purlins (for long-span building supports), and photovoltaic mounting systems. For example, aluminum alloy roof purlins weigh only one-third of steel purlins, reducing roof loads by 30%. They are suitable for the rapid erection requirements of prefabricated buildings and offer excellent corrosion resistance (no painting required).

 

4. Customized Manufacturing & Integrating Roll Forming Machines with Fixed Profiles

Application:

Integrates traditional multi-component product assembly on customized roll forming processes to finish on one-stop. Such as typical products include "P-shaped" cross-section wall studs and "S-shaped" cross-section composite purlins. For example, modular wall studs are roll-formed to achieve an integrated structure of "outer steel plate + middle insulation layer + inner gypsum board," increasing installation efficiency by 50% while reducing on-site cutting steps (accuracy error ≤ 2mm).

 

Technical Keys:

Separated Composite Structure Section Mold: Some complex steel sections require a 3-step mold separation: pre-forming, final forming and shaping. This ensures simultaneous forming of each cavity (e.g., wall thickness difference within the cavity is≤0.2mm) to prevent local collapse.

 

Material Composite Process: For steel-plastic composite profiles (e.g., PVC-lined sound insulation keels), "roller-wrapping" technique is available in this industry now. Roller's pressure (300-500N) creates a mechanical bond power between metal sheet and plastic, and the peel strength is bigger than 15N/cm.

 

Summary

Roller forming machine technology, through its three key characteristics of "continuous production," "precision," and "customization," is driving the development of building components toward "efficient production, lightweight, high-strength, and integrated functionality." Technological upgrades to these machines are expected to further expand their application in ultra-large cross-section components (e.g., bridge guardrails) and green building materials (recycled steel profiles).