Whenever an end user or a machine distributor plans to purchase a roll forming machine,  they need to keep an eye on the roll forming machine transmission applied.

A cold roll forming equipment usually consistis of decoiler, feeding unit, leveling unit, punching unit, roll forming uint, cutting unit, hydraulic unit, control unit and transmission unit.

The three commonest transmission methods for roll forming equipment are as following:

• Chain Sprokets
• Worm and Gear
• Coupling Gearbox and Universal Joint-shafts

Different manufacturers will use transmission methods for the roll forming euipment according to techcnical needs or clients’ requests.

We can find chain sprokets transmission anyway in our daily life, like bicycles, and in industrial occassions, like roll formers. However, we can find Worm and gear and Coupling Gearbox and universal joint shafts transmissions mostly applied for industrial usage.

COLD ROLL FORMING MACHINE WITH CHAIN-SPROCKETS TRANSMISSION.

In a cold roll forming equipment, suppliers tend to apply chain-sproket tranmission for producing thin metal sheets (less than 3mm) at a normal speed based on the technical needs (gearbox and worm-gear transmission methods are available as per clients’ requirements), like corrugated sheet roll forming machine, C/Z purin roll forming machine and stud and track roll forming machine etc.

Chain-sprokets transmission is a cost effective transmission method!  It does not require clean working environment, even dust won’t stop its working! The weak point is that long-time running will cause wear and tear. Besides, chain-sprockets transmission method is not suitable for high-precision or accuracy application because it doesn’t play well on controlling the tolerance of cutting length.

COLD ROLL FORMING MACHINE WITH GEARBOX TRANSMISSION.

In most of roll forming equipment handling materials over 3mm thickness or working at a speed over 20m/min (appro. 80ft/min), gear boxes and universal joint shafts will be mounted, like a highway guardrail roll forming machine; in high precision or accuracy roll formers,  like some stud and track roll forming machines, manufacturers also apply apply gearbox and universal joint shaft to drive the machine.

Gearbox and universal joint shafts are strong and heavy!  This type of transmission can provide big power to roll formers so that the roll formers could work stable and ensure the precision or accuracy of the final roll formed products. On the other hand, we cannot deny the truth that this transmission method costs much more than the other two. Fruthermore, clients have to place the roll forming machine with such tranmssion method in clean workshop with no dust.  Another black side is gear-box transmission roll former will require more working area than the equipment with other transmission method.

COLD ROLL FORMING MACHINE WITH WORM-GEAR TRANSMISSION.

Worm-gear transmission is suitable for roll forming light, thin and small products at a normal speed (less than 15m/min, appro. 50ft/min), but sometimes can also be applied on a roof panel roll forming machine as per clients’ requirements.

Worm and gear transmission method is applied not too often! However, still there are fans of such transmission because it’s lighter than gear-box transmission and ensures stable working of the cold roll forming equipment.

Worm-gear roll forming machine transmission costs much more than chain-sprockets roll forming machine transmission but costs less than a gear-box roll forming machine transmission. In some occassions, especially for light weight steel roll forming machines, it can replace gear-box because on one hand it can ensure the precision or accuracy of the final products, and stable running of equipment, and on the other hand it costs less and requires smaller working areas.

MAXON® can design and build roll formers with each of the above mentioned transmission method. You may just advise your preference and we will make proper offe as per your requests. You can visit our Youtube Channel to see the trial running of our machines.