Roll Forming Applications

Roll forming, also spelled rollforming, is a continuous bending operation in which a long strip of stainless steel passes through consecutive sets of rolls. Each set of rolls performs only an incremental part of the bend until the desired cross-section profile is obtained. Roll forming is ideal for producing parts with long lengths and in large quantities, such as fuel lines or other tubing products.

Roll forming lines can be set up with multiple configurations to punch and cut off parts in a continuous operation. Features such as piercing a hole, notch, embossment or shear form may be added by punching in a roll forming line.

Roll forming begins with a large stainless steel strip coil, usually 1”–25” wide and 0.004”– 0.125” thick. (This is the material that Stainless Sales Corporation provides.) The metal strip is then unrolled and fed into a machine and connected to the cutoff attachment.

Next, the metal strip is fed into the forming rolls. (These mating die-set rolls are constructed to form the desired shape in stages sequentially by means of various-shaped rolls.)

These rolls can be laid out as flower-shaped, progressive upper/lower or side rolls or as overhung spindle rolls (known as cluster-roll configurations), with different roll configurations according to the job required.

Stainless steel parts such as tubing, door hardware and heavy-truck applications are produced by the roll forming process.

Our sales representatives’ experience working with roll formers enables them to provide the right kind of stainless steel as well as technical expertise when needed. Contact Stainless Sales Corporation to find quality stainless steel coil for roll forming and tubing applications!