The process is similar in most custom rollforming shops. The customer sends a part design and you need to make it. You order what you need from your tool supplier, place the new tooling on your mill and run the job. But hidden in that simple sequence are numerous potential pitfalls that can turn the prospect of profitable work into a nightmare of out-of-spec sections, failed tooling and fault-finding, not to mention money flying out the window against the backdrop of an idle rollforming mill or a heap of scrapped material. The stakes are as high as ever for custom rollformers and a proper tooling launch can help ensure successful job runs, according to Chuck Summerhill, engineering manager for Roll-Kraft, Mentor, OH, a designer and supplier of rollform tooling. He offers some tips you can use to help smooth tool selection, setup and operation.
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