Here we only talk about the roll forming mill in a roll forming line. (uncoiler, press & punch, servo feed, stacking, cutting..., the other equipment are not what we talk in this page)
Normally, a standard roll forming machine contains a base, stands, shafts, rolls, and drive system.
Machine Base
A rigid machine base is the foundation to build a good roll forming machine, In Brother Union Machinery, the upper surface of top plate of base is machined, where the stands are mounted.
The maching surface of a roll forming machine base
Maching the mounted plate of a cassette type roll forming machine
The machined keyways are used for aligning the Indepandent Stands installation position.
Stands
In a roll forming pass, a pair of stands (drive-side stand and operate-side stand) hold and support the shaft and rolls.
The stands are fastened by bolts to the machine base.
The bearing blocks should move freely up and down
For most roll forming machines, the bottom shafts is position fixed above the machine bed. And the top shafts is adjustable up and down by screws.
Shafts
A qualified shaft should be made of proper material and has enough diameter to bear the heavy working condtion.
Especially to a long shaft, the shaft deflection should be considered when designing a roll forming shaft.
Excessively high forces can bend the shafts permanently. Permanently bent shafts will change the product dimensions at every revolution of the shafts.
Drive system
Nowadays, roll forming lines are usually powered by electrical motors. The most common tyes of driving a roll forming machine are chain dirve and gear drive.
