Roll-Forming Machines Key Terms

Get acquainted with the technical terms associated with roll-forming machines

By Howard Robertson

Roll-forming is the process of bending a strip or sheet of metal to a desired shape by passing it successively through a set of rolls, each roll achieving an increment of bending. Roll-forming is an important step in the manufacturing of various industrial components.

Whether you want to buy a roll-forming machine or use roll forming services, you must be familiar with certain technical terms. This guide will explain various technical terms relating to roll-forming machines, such as cold working, hot working, precut or postcut roll-forming and springback.

Cold working (or cold forming)

A process is called cold working when the metal working operation is performed at room temperature. However, roll-forming at room temperature might induce some stresses in the final product.
Try: You can browse through a metal forming glossary at Advantage Fabricated Metals, a manufacturer of metal components for original equipment manufacturing (OEM) applications.

Hot working (or hot forming)

As the name indicates, a hot working operation is performed at temperatures higher than the room temperature. At higher temperatures, the yield strength of a metal or alloy is less than its value at room temperature. Therefore, the final product would have less stresses as compared to the product from the cold working operation.
Try: Sandmeyer Steel Company, a supplier of industrial steel products, offers a glossary of technical terms, including cold forming and hot forming.

Precut or postcut roll forming

Roll-forming operations use two techniques: precut roll-forming or postcut roll-forming. In the precut roll-forming technique, the material to be roll-formed is first cut to length and then roll-formed, whereas in the postcut roll-forming techniques, material to be roll-formed is cut to length after roll-forming process.
Try: M A Metal, a metal working service provider, offers information about various technical terms, such as precut roll-forming and postcut roll-forming.

Rollers

Rollers are cylindrical components of roll-forming machinery that are used to press metal sheets for forming them to desired shapes.
Try: GlobalSpec, a technical information resource, offers description about rollers, types and applications.

Springback (elastic springback)

If a component is roll-formed below its elastic limit, it has a tendency to regain its original shape. This is by virtue of the resilience of the component material.
Try: Corrugated Metals, a supplier of cold-formed products, offers a technical glossary that explains this term.

Tolerances

Tolerance is the permissible variation of dimensions of the machined component from the design dimensions. This is an important aspect of a component; before using roll-forming machines, you must asses your tolerance requirements.
Try: eMachineShop.com provides detailed information about tolerances and their importance.