jsreric roll forming machine

Brass
Bronze
But every so often we hear about using a different source material. (More in a sec.)

So rule #1 is: Don’t use anything that has poor ductility.

You can check out our metal properties PDF chart for a look at ductility and common roll formed materials.

Your top priority is always to build things that work really well and don’t fall apart (and don’t fall on people). What makes a material unsuitable for roll forming really comes from a formability standpoint.

So rule #2 is: It can’t be too brittle. It’s got to be malleable.

Anything that is hard or brittle like cast metal or certain metals that are heat treated to increase hardness aren’t really formable.

The most common material we repeatedly see specified even though it’s unsuitable for roll forming is a heat-treated aluminum alloy used for extrusions – 6061. When you’re specifying a T6 or, to a lesser extent, T4, you’re losing bendability, making it harder for your manufacturing to avoid cracking the metal.

That’s why extrusion is usually the process of choice for 6061-T6: You need to form and heat treat it at the same time. That’s not possible with a roll former.

So rule #2 is: Stay away from 6061 aluminum. Or it may look like these press punching videos.

NON-METAL AND OTHER WEIRD ATTEMPTS AT ROLL FORMING
Someone has to be the first to try something. Here are some non-metal roll forming attempts we’ve heard about:

Foam Rubber
You can’t roll form foam rubber for the opposite reason you see with heat-treated metals. Something as soft as rubber simply won’t hold its “final” shape after it’s rolled. Next!

Plastic (Polymer)
Plastic or polymer can be roll formed, but it’s usually extruded instead. The problem with these materials is they may bend or break during the process.

Cardboard
Certain types of cardboard also can be roll formed, but you have to be really careful about the thickness you specify. If it’s more than ¼“, for example, your vendor’s machines are going to have trouble handling the material.

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