Solutions for Better Designs

To the uninitiated, the roll forming process might appear to be an easy business to work in and understand. However, there is a host of engineering guidelines and technical solutions that roll formers and experienced customers need to know. This small group of "Do's and Don'ts of Roll Forming" does not seem to be very sophisticated, you might suppose - but it is. Just ask us.
 

INSTEAD OF THIS... Samson Roll Form CONSIDER THIS...
The outside leg on the metal building panel stock, when rolled straight, will be wavy. Forming a slight bend in the leg will help to flatten it.

before

 

 

The flat 180° hem, when roll formed, will be wavy. By forming a tear drop hem, the edge will be flat.

 

 

90° legs on most metal building panels add more forming passes and will mark the legs. Forming a 75° leg reduces the number of stations and does not mark the leg.

after

 

 

Avoid sharp inside radii; they are difficult to form without marking the outside radius or cracking the paint on pre-painted material. A larger radius reduces this problem.

after

 

 

When roll breakage occurs because of a narrow slot design, a wider slot design will alleviate the breakage.

05

 

 

When the rolled leg is too short as shown, use approximately 3 times the material thickness on the legs to achieve stiffness.

06

 

 

When a section has a roll form on one end and a wide flat on the other end, put a leg on the end or a groove near the end to maintain straightness.

07

 

 

If a wide sweeping radius is impossible to control, put a bend in each end to keep it straight.

08

Please contact us to discuss your roll design needs.