Roll formed aluminium profiles
Aluminum profiles are not only extruded, as well as cold-formed on special roller lines. Cold formed profiles are often called “roll-formed profiles”.
Aluminium lends itself perfectly to rollforming. Another advantage is that the properties and structure of aluminium are greatly improved by rollforming. Hadley’s engineers would be happy to discuss the possibilities with you.
In rollforming, an aluminium profile is created from strip material. The aluminium passes through a series of contoured rolls, which roll the profile into the desired form. During this process, several processes can take place at the same time, such as embossing, notching, decorating, hole punching, and bending.
This is where rollforming differs from production techniques such as extrusion or squaring, allowing shorter production times. We are able to deliver products fast, in big series, and always to the same specifications and high degree of precision.
Technical requirements and conditions
Technical requirements and conditions, related to the production and supply of bent aluminum profiles:
- aluminum and aluminum alloys, from which bent profiles are made;
- state of supply of aluminum and aluminum alloys;
- minimum and maximum wall thickness of bent profiles;
- limit deviations of bent profiles according to:
– wall thickness,
– corner bending,
– twist angle,
– straightness,
– measured length.
Aluminum profiles: cold-formed or extruded?
Cold-formed aluminum profiles are used there, where the following extruded profile differences are acceptable:
- simpler cross-sectional shape;
- a limited number of aluminum alloys;
- wider dimensional and shape tolerances;
- reduced requirements for surface quality;
- lower price.
Roll forming line
Cold formed profiles - and aluminum, and steel - made on special roll-forming units - roll-forming lines. The process of manufacturing roll-formed profiles is called profiling.. Profiling is a metal processing process, in which a sheet metal workpiece is gradually formed as a result of a series of bending operations into a bent profile. This process takes place on a roll forming line - roll forming mill, where the blank passes through several roll stands. These rolls, which sometimes look like rollers, can be located above and below the workpiece, along its edges, at an angle to her and so on. As the sheet passes through each roll stand, it undergoes plastic deformation and bending.. Each roll stand takes one step out of the complete bending sequence to form a finished rollform.
Figure – Roll Forming Line (Source: custompartnet.com)
Roll forming process
Rolls are lubricated, to reduce friction between rolls and belt and, thus, reduce roll wear. Moreover, lubrication enables a higher profile forming speed to increase the productivity of the roll forming unit. Performance also depends on the material - grade of aluminum and aluminum alloys, the thickness of the original aluminum strip, number of roll stands and bending radii of each bend. Roll forming units may include additional technological operations, such as , perforation, nails or averages.
The profiling process is used to form metal strip profiles with a wide variety of cross-sections.. The most common are solid profiles (profiles without cavities), however hollow profiles, for example, tubes, also quite successfully made by this method.
Application of cold-formed profiles
Cold-formed aluminum profiles are used in industrial and residential construction, electric lighting, warehousing and other areas.
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