How do roll forming machines work?

A roll forming equipment guides a thin-walled piece of sheet metal along a row of profile rollers. These are steel rollers, which form sheet metal into the desired profile corresponding to the way that they are arranged. This type of sheet metal forming is called roll forming. The rollers are either rigidly mounted on exchangeable cartridges or individually mounted on hydraulic cylinders. Profile lines with exchangeable cartridges are more affordable and simpler to install. Even with an experienced team, switching the profiles cannot be done under ten minutes. Furthermore, one requires a large, clean and dry storage unit for the cartridges. Automatically adjustable profile lines are more complex in their construction. However, their advantage is that they can be switched in seconds and they do not require a storage unit. Due to the constant use, the profile rollers on automatically adjustable profile lines have a higher level of wear and tear. However, these components are very affordable and can also be repaired or produced independently, if required. A roll forming machine for sale is usually equipped with a reel, to guide in the sheet metal. The profile is cut using laser, plasma or water jet cutters.