Denise Rosenau

Guest Post: The Basics of Roll Forming Processing

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Today’s post is courtesy of John Hamlin

The roll forming process uses a set of rollers placed strategically to perform incremental bending by feeding long strips of metal continuously. It is a process used to convert long strips of metal into various cross-sections or shapes. The process is performed by sets of mated rollers that change the form until the desired cross-section or shape is attained. This forming process is primarily focused on the cross-section of the metal or material. In some cases, the thickness of the material is being reduced.

Roll formed products do not only have a a high demand on material handling industries, they are also all around us, and below are some of the industries that also use these products:

  • Energy and power industries
  • Construction
  • Industrial
  • Agricultural
  • Transportation/Automotive
  • Other fabricated metal manufacturers

Roll Forming Process Fundamental Steps

  1. Decoiling – This is a process of unwinding and cutting metal from its primary coil. Typically, after the decoiling process, the metal is directly fed to a flattener or a machine that flexes/flattens the metal before proceeding to the next procedure.
  2. Pre-press treatment – This is an intermediate process prior to roll forming proper. It involves a flattened metal piece that undergoes press treatment to add slots, holes, or slits, depending on the product desired.
  3. Roll forming – This is a process by which a roll forming machine progressively shapes the material. The roll forming machine bends the metal using a set of mated rollers to guide the long strip of metal to make the desired bends.
  4. Cut off and discharge process – Subsequent to the roll forming process, the material will undergo a cut-off process, where the material is cut to the desired length while it is in motion. After the cutting process, the material will be discharged to a run-out table to be placed for shipment or undergo another process.

Roll Forming Secondary processes

The whole roll forming process can be either completed as the part comes off the discharge process or completed in other stations.

Secondary processing may include:

  • Punching
  • Tight tolerance forming and straightening
  • Adding other components
  • Minor assembly of parts

Metals Used in Roll Forming

Roll forming is capable of shaping any ferrous or non-ferrous metals. There are variations in the adjustment on the roll forming process’s bending stage, since there are different characteristics of metals, such as ductility and strength. These properties will indicate the amount of force needed to shape the metal.

Another characteristic of metal that should be considered in the roll forming process is the yield point, wherein every metal has its own critical value. A material’s yield point is where the material begins to change its shape permanently.

list of metals commonly used in the roll forming process

Ferrous metals:

Ferrous metals are mainly composed of iron. Ferrous metal can be easily recycled and are rust-resistant.

  • Steel – This material is an alloy of iron and a relatively small percentage of carbon. It contains less than 2% of carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance. It also contains small amounts of silicon, phosphorus, sulfur, and manganese. Steel can be easily recycled, which is why it is one of the most commonly used types of metal.
  • Stainless Steel – This roll forming material is an alloy of iron with a high percentage of chromium. Stainless steel typically consists of 10-20% chromium. This type of material is very useful because of its high malleability and its corrosion resistance.
  • Galvanized Steel – This material is a heat-treated metal coated with zinc. It has high corrosion resistance due to its zinc coating.

Non-ferrous metals:

Non-ferrous metals have no iron content and have higher corrosion resistance compared to ferrous materials.

  • Aluminum – Aluminum is a very suitable material in the roll forming process because it is malleable, lightweight, and easily formed.
  • Brass – Brass is a copper and zinc alloy and has high machinability, high malleability, and is wear-resistance.
  • Copper – Copper has high electrical conductivity and has a low chemical reactivity.
  • Lead – Lead is very soft, with high malleability, high ductility, and has very poor electrical conductivity. Because of its high density, lead is capable of absorbing vibrations.

Key Takeaways

Roll forming is indeed one of the fastest and most cost effective methods of producing sheet metal products of any length with accurate tolerances and dimensions. It is used by many industries due to its versatility where complex and intricate cross sections can easily be produced using ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

Crank-Out Cantilever Rack Project for Arrow Gear

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Crankout Cantilever RackingOn this project, SJF’s Solutions Specialist Jason Deiter worked closely with customer Arrow Gear and Rack Engineering to provide a crank-out solution that would free up floor space, utilize vertical space with the ability to retrieve from individual compartments, and organize inventory.

Units have four crank out levels with 5,600 lb. capacity per arm, plus a 20,000 lb. capacity fixed top for additional storage. Compartments are 14″ in height and use 24″ length arms.

For more information on crank out cantilever racking, contact Jason Deiter at SJF at (320) 485-4961 or email him at jdeiter@sjf.com. He’ll be able to answer any questions you may have and help plan for your needs!

Function and Style with Racking

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If you need racking to match your implements, we can accommodate

A recent SJF customer from Michigan was very happy with both the racking and the slick look of his storage area for his John Deere implements and attachments. SJF Solutions Specialist Kendal Kalamaha listened to his needs and found the perfect solution.

We’re happy to accommodate your needs for storage racking. We offer a wide variety of sizes, configurations, and colors. If you’d like to match it to your implements, we’re ready to customize!

If you need ideas or know exactly what you want, Kendal can be reached directly at (320) 485-4966 or kkalamaha@sjf.com. He has many years of experience and has great ideas!

Lumber Racking Solution for Lake Russell Building Supply

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Lake Russell Building Supply Cantilever Set Up

Lucas Brady, President of Lake Russell Building Supply in Elberton, GA, had a need for storage solutions for a pole building they were enclosing in order to protect their product from the elements and better service their customers. In October 2019, Lucas contacted SJF via their “live chat” feature (that is, in fact, answered by a real live professional). Solutions Specialist Jason Deiter answered the chat and began discussing the application.

They wanted to rack out 2 walls of their pole building to allow for storage of treated lumber in various unit sizes. For this application, we chose 5′ brace sets to accommodate the various unit lengths and 4′ heavy duty arms that would work for dimensional and sheet goods. The result was positive and it has really changed and improved the way that they handle materials.

Knowing that they would need more, in February of 2020 Lucas reached out to add on another 90′ section to store yellow pine, tongue and grove, staged loads and special orders.

Lucas writes: “These racks have made such a big impact on every aspect of handling lumber. We will definitely be adding more in the future. Thank you. I’m as happy about having them as you were in selling them.“

Jason and our other solutions specialists are available to help you find the best solution for your individual space. They are trained to “think outside the box” and have excellent ideas to help solve your problem.

If you have a project that you’d like help with, feel free to call Jason at (320) 485-4961 or email him at jdeiter@sjf.com. He’d be happy to help with your project!

Cantilever Rack for Vehicle Storage

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Cantilever Solution for Car Storage

Justin Erkenbrack, Solutions Specialist at SJF, has been working with Lee C. Parts out of Massachusetts to come up with a solution for storing cars that are being parted out. The customer needed a way to keep the cars out of the way and off the floor, while still making them easily accessible. With Justin’s help and expertise, a great workable solution was found… Cantilever racking.

Justin and the rest of our solutions specialists will work with you to find a solution to your problem. Whether it’s storage or more complex warehouse operations and automation, they have the training and experience to help.

If you have a problem or need some ideas, feel free to contact Justin directly at (320) 485-4962 or jerkenbrack@sjf.com. He’s happy to help!

Newest Member to our SJF Family Visits

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We had an absolutely adorable visitor at SJF last week that we were all happy to see… None other than sweet little Sloane Sterner stopped by, along with her Mom, Kelli, of course, to say hi. Sloane is our youngest SJF family member at only 9 months old and is the daughter of Sam and Kelli Sterner. Talk about a great way to brighten the day!

Guest Post: A History of Robotics in Materials Handling

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Today’s post is courtesy of Bryan Hellman

How long have robots been around?

The mathematician, Archytas, created the first robot in 400 BC, and robots have been a fascination of humanity ever since. Robots come with all different shapes and capabilities, but one of the most common applications of robotics is in manufacturing. Since the early 1960s, robots have revolutionized and streamlined material handling.

It began with a focus on automation in manufacturing, as Ford Motor Company’s Vice President quickly realized the need for improved material handling in order to compete with Chevrolet. Once automation began to spread in the manufacturing market, robotics quickly followed. George Devol and Joseph Engelberger founded Unimation, Inc. in 1961, and they introduced the world’s first industrial robot into an assembly line in a General Motors factory.

The First Industrial Robot

This robot was a robotic arm titled, Unimate #001. Unimation robots were also known as programmable transfer machines since their primary purpose was to transfer objects over a distance of about twelve feet. These robots used hydraulic actuators, with the joint angles stored during a teaching phase and replayed during operation. 1

Advancements in computing and robotics led to more development of robots such as the Stanford arm in 1969. This was an all-electric, 6-axis articulated robot invented by Victor Scheinman at Stanford University. The Stanford arm was able to accurately follow arbitrary paths in space and eventually spread the use of robotics outside of the field of material handling and into areas such as assembly and welding. 2

Unimation licensed their technology to Kawasaki Heavy Industries and GKN, and by the late 1970’s many US companies as well as several Japanese conglomerates began to build even more industrial robots. This led to robots that were capable of handling materials of a heavier weight at a faster speed and with more reliability. They were controlled by programmable logic controllers (PLCs), which allowed for easy programming and reliable control. PLCs have since been replaced using modern software, improving the capabilities of industrial robots and allowing for more sophisticated control.

Industrial Robots Become Autonomous and Mobile

In 2003, Kiva systems built autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to drive inventory around warehouses. Amazon purchased the company in 2012, and it became Amazon Robotics. Most of the robotic advancements in the 2000s took place in research labs, however, as researchers tested and developed more advanced robotic arms in order to deploy them into the global market.

Parameters for Industrial Robots

There are several defining parameters of industrial robots used in material handling. The first is the number of axes, which determines the mobility and degrees of freedom of which the robot is capable. The next is the working envelope, which is how much space the robot can reach. For robots which are meant to transport materials over long distances, a greater working envelope is needed. However, many smaller robots specialize in material handling within confined spaces, increasing the need for accuracy and decreasing the need for greater mobility.

The amount of weight a robot can lift is called the carrying capacity or payload. Advancements have allowed robots to lift much heavier payloads than ever before, outperforming human workers faced with the same task. Speed is another defining parameter of industrial robots, as well as how quickly the axis can accelerate. And the level of repeat-ability is one of the most important criterions for an industrial robot, as greater repeat-ability means smoother operations and less maintenance.

Robotics as a Material Handling Solution

One example of the use of industrial robots in material handling today is Genesis Systems’ robotic machine tending system. They needed an automated solution for the manual loading and unloading portion of their lathe and part washing processes. Genesis Systems therefore created a robot capable of handling 16-part numbers, processing each part in under 60 seconds. Their robot is capable of operating unattended for at least 45 minutes at a time, eliminating bottlenecks and increasing productivity.

Industrial robots today have allowed manufacturers to fully automate material handling in certain areas, cutting labor costs and reducing bottlenecks. The use of robotics in material handling allows for greater consistency and faster production, as these robots can work round the clock with only a small period of downtime for maintenance. They also reduce the need for humans to perform hazardous and tedious labor, increasing workplace safety.

Kawasaki Robotics offers a series of material handling robots capable of handling up to 1500 kg payload capacity. They also aid material handling with features such as conveyor tracking and collision detection. Their M series robotic arm has the highest payload capacity of 1500 kg and the widest reach of up to 4005 mm. They also have medical and pharmaceutical robots designed specifically for accuracy and cleanliness. 5

The Future of Robotics in Materials Handling

The future of robotics in material handling is a bright one. As manufacturing begins to trend towards the use of multi-arm robots, the robots’ payload capacity will increase as well as their applications. They will also be able to work in conjunction with area scanners to perform three-dimensional bin picking, allowing these robots to perform these tasks in a much faster time than humans can. In addition, they will reduce risk for workers in industries handling parts near hot metals or glass.

Smaller robots will be able to handle tinier, more fragile parts such as electronics or food products. As software improvements allow robots to move faster and more delicately, the amount of damage to these products is reduced. Robots with USDA-certified grippers will also be able to handle raw food directly as the use of robotics grows in the agricultural manufacturing industry. 6

Robotics in Materials Handling are Changing the World

As more research and development is done on industrial robotics, manufacturers are beginning to adopt more robotic technology in material handling. This is leading to safer workplaces and more intelligent robots that can work alongside humans. Although this robotic technology is not universal, it’s certainly moving in that direction. With all the advances of the last few years, it won’t be surprising to see material handling become fully automated in the coming decades.

Bryan Hellman is a writer with DO Supply, Inc. who enjoys writing about Robotics, Automation, and the future applications of AI.