BUYING THE RIGHT TYPE OF ROLLFORMING LINE:
October 16th, 2008By Jeff K. Carson
When your company is seeking to purchase a rollforming line, there are two very distinct types of rollforming equipment in the market today. There is the type which is designed for lightweight, mobile use, at the work site (which we will refer to as “WORK SITE” equipment); and the type which is in-house, heavy duty, bolted-to-a-concrete-floor, non-portable (which we will refer to as “IN-PLANT” equipment).
Since both types of rollforming line have their place in the market — which one is right for your company? Here are a few points to consider in making that decision.
ANNUAL VOLUME:
One of the key indicators for determining the type of rollforming line you should be buying is found in the annual lineal footage of product you require. For example, if you are a contractor and need 92,000 lineal feet of a product per year, then you should probably be looking at the WORK SITE equipment line for the maximum value – even if it is installed in a factory. The cost ratio of capital equipment to the number of lineal feet dictates that the purchase price of the equipment be at a very low cost level. – otherwise, each foot of rollformed product might end up costing you $2,000 per foot for example. And if your annual volume is 92,000 lineal per 8-hour shift, then you will need a high speed IN-PLANT line that can run 300-500 fpm.
MAXIMUM PRODUCT LENGTH:
The length of your product can also be a determining factor. Many architectural products today are designed to be seamless and of one continuous piece rather than assembled end-to-end in segments. This can reduce the risk of warranty and liability claims around problems such as leakage, etc. If your company will be involved in making seamless eavestrough, seamless roof panels, etc. — in lengths of 80-120 foot spans, then your decision is clear; you ought to be considering the WORK SITE equipment. Although IN-PLANT lines could theoretically produce equally long segments of product, generally it is the maximum length of the truckload at 55-57 feet that restricts the length of product rollformed in the factory.
LINE SPEED:
Many products today are pushing the manufacturing limits to new heights in the line speeds in which they operate. Cornerbead lines or steel stud and track lines can operate at speeds in excess of 500 fpm. If your goal is to have a high speed line for your company, then you can probably expect to bolt your IN-PLANT equipment to the concrete floor to attain those production rates. Most WORK SITE rollforming lines operate less than 50 fpm as they were not designed for this type of application.
COIL SIZE AND COST:
Another important item to consider as you plan your equipment needs is the size of the coil and its cost. Most IN-PLANT rollforming lines will provide an industrial level uncoiler which can hold a standard coil weighing in a 4,000-lbs, or 6,000-lbs – depending on the product – with a coil Inside Diameter of 20-inches and an Outside Diameter of 60-inches or 72-inches. And the company which sells you the coil will have a standard price per lb for this material (i.e. $0.40/lb). Most WORK SITE rollforming lines cannot support these type of coil weights or sizes; and many customers are shocked to find that the small “pup” coil (1,000-3,000-lbs) which must travel to the site ends up costing 40-80% more (i.e. $0.69/lb) for material because of the surcharge that many steel service centers will apply for their additional labor of creating these smaller coils.
One reason that most popular roofing panels are rollforming IN-PLANT is due in part to the 42” or 48” wide strip width. So it is not very common to find a large panel such as an R-Panel rollforming line at the WORK SITE. The coils are generally too large to handle. Some products such as guardrail might seem ideal to manufacture at the WORK SITE until you consider the massive size of the roll tooling and large stands and shaft diameters necessary to manufacture such a high strength product; and so the thickness of the material also helps determine the decision to rollform IN-PLANT.
So do your homework. Evaluate the needs of your company with an eye to the future of where you want to grow your business. Consider the speeds, the volumes, the liabilities and the costs. And select the right equipment for the right job.
JEFF K. CARSON
International Sales Manager
SAMCO MACHINERY LTD
www.samco-machinery.com
jcarson@samco-machinery.com
