Examining roll forming machinery, tooling, and lubrication

Sep 07, 2023

Last time around we took a closer look at problems in the roll forming process and found that work material generally is not the culprit.

If material is ruled out, what can the problem be? No changes have been made, and the operator and setup people claim that they have done nothing different. Hmm ...

In most cases the problem can be traced to a machine setup, maintenance, or electrical problem. Here are some items you might want to have on a checklist:

It might come as a surprise to you that most material problems are related directly to a machine problem or faulty setup in the roll and punch tooling. Ensure that operators and setup personnel on all shifts keep and maintain good set-up charts.

Do not tolerate those infamous, secret setup pocket books! It is very costly to troubleshoot opinions, especially those about tooling and machine setup.

Now let's talk about the hardest roll forming problem to troubleshoot -- lubrication. You want to eliminate lubrication problems permanently, because in most operations, you will find the purchasing department in control of this aspect of roll forming.

Normally this is, besides material, the line item the red pen strikes first. But wait a minute! Why is it necessary to apply any sort of lubrication and then take it off? Why would anyone spend time, effort, and money on this? And then, why are we spending all our hard-earned dollars on special lubricants?

Steel mills usually coat coil with some sort of oil to prevent rust. However, this oil was not developed for forming.

Physics Brief. Visiting the physics of material surfaces briefly, we know that the surface of metal is quite rough, even though it appears smooth to the naked eye.

Picture peaks and valleys to get a good understanding of how a polished surface looks under the microscope. We also know, based on the formulas of Hertz in regard to pressure between elastic bodies, that harder materials penetrate softer materials. Add friction to the equation, and you get a shear force to your peaks.

Over time the peaks erode as they break off and get pressed into the coil material. The effect, as you probably already know, is that material is deposited on roll surfaces, especially on the high-wear grooves. It is obvious that this has an effect on product quality and tool life.

Heat. In addition, the roll forming process generates heat from friction and forming energy, which does not affect the material's microstructure; but in some cases, as in line welding, heat can introduce shape variations and other issues to a cross-section. A liberal amount of roll form lubricant acts as a coolant.

The point is to control and manage the impact of these effects. To review, roll forming lubricants:

However, if you select the wrong roll forming lubricant, you might encounter:

Considering the Final Product. You must take the finished product and its application into consideration when selecting roll forming lubricants.

A light wax residue might be acceptable on a hidden part, but what will happen if you use the same lubricant on roofing applications? Your credibility will drop, that's what. It's best to discuss the application with an expert and to remember that the right lubricant can provide substantial benefits; however, the wrong lubricant can cost you dearly, in more ways than one.

Creating a Waste Management Program. In addition, you should consider lubrication as an entire system. This means that you need to consider environmental, OSHA, and local regulations to obtain the lubricant's benefits and to steer clear of trouble.

Above all, you need to establish a waste management program. This program not only ensures that you comply with the law, it improves process efficiency. Take a look around next time you walk through your plant. You might find some of the following:

The point is that your efforts to improve and maintain your roll forming operation need to extend to lubricants. Do not forget to look at the maintenance aspect of lubrication—the continuous use of forming lubricants and their proper disposal or, even better, recycling.