How Roll Forming Works

Roll forming is a fabrication technique that fashion strips of raw material into finished products. The distinguishing factor of the process is the use of long strips of materials that are pressed into the desired shape. Other necessary functions of the process are cutting the strips into required lengths and quality control of the final product so that the process could be amended to rectify the problem.

The process of roll forming could be used for a wide range of materials such as plastics and metals. Almost all metals and a significant number of plastics could be used as the input material for the process.

Unlike many fabrication processes, roll forming is a continuous process. This means that the machinery and the process will function without break as long as the supply of raw material is maintained. In many cases, the machinery operates continuously for several days and produce the desired output quantity in one go.

Plastic is an ideal material for roll forming procedure because of its thermal properties. The machine uses heat as means to make plastic more malleable. The pressure of the rollers and the heat of the system ensure that the plastic is at the optimal stage for compression into the desired shape.

The process starts with long strips of plastic. The initial stage of the machine is a fully adjustable cutter that cuts the longer strips into more manageable portions. Once these strips are cut they are passed through a system of rollers and forming plates. At this point, the strips of plastics are under pressure and are already subject to heat.

Once the strip has been formed into the desired shape, a quality control professional examines the product and suggest adjustments. In many cases, there is no need for adjustments and the process goes through smoothly.