Similar to roll bending, roll forming also uses rollers to achieve a desired shape; however, roll forming is used to produce cross-sectionally uniform bends in sheet metal.
The rollers used in roll forming are positioned along the length of the workpiece. Each roller performs an incremental part of the bend which increases from roller to roller, meaning that once the workpiece has been fed through the entire series of rollers, it will have adopted the required profile.
Roll forming offers plenty of choice when it comes to the materials used. Mild steel is arguably the most common material used within the roll forming process, although aluminium, stainless steel, carbon steel, copper, bronze and brass are also commonplace.
Roll forming is great for high-volume requirements; however, smaller batches may not prove cost-effective due to associated tooling costs.