Our Blog Has Moved to http://formtekgroup.com/news-events

Thank you to our readers who have been checking out Formtek's metal forming news and updates since we launched the More Productive Metal Forming Solutions blog in 2009.  With the launch of our new website last year, we migrated our blog over there, so the online experience between our product information, brands and news are seamless.  You can continue to read about the latest from Formtek http://formtekgroup.com/news-events.  Additionally, the archive of More Productive Metal Forming Solutions has moved to the new formtekgroup.com, so you can find all this information in one place.  Thank you for following along with us for More Productive Metal Forming Solutions!

B&K Accessory System

The B&K Accessory System provides the capability to produce a variety of steel framing accessories on a single roll forming system with minimum changeover time.  The roll tooling is not removed to change profiles.  A handcrank with digital readout, positions the next set of roll tooling.  Each roll former module has the capacity for four (4) sets of roll tooling.  With the addition of a second roll former module, up to eight (8) profiles can be produced.

  Features:

• System can produce a wide variety of accessory products including RC1, CRC, Furring Channel, Z-Furring Channel, Corner Bead and more.

• Changeover from profile to profile is accomplished using a hand crank and mechanical   readout.

•  Precut system means no cutoff die to change.

• High Speed operation (200 FPM)

For more information on B&K Accessory System contact us at bkformtek@formtekgroup.com 

or call us at (216) 292-4460.

FIBER LASER WELDED TUBE MILL DESTINED FOR NEW YORK

Yoder Manufacturing of Cleveland, Ohio, a member of the Formtek Group, has recently received an order for a Fiber Laser Welded Tube Mill for producing decorative stainless components.  This fusion-welded mill will utilize the latest advancements in laser welding – fiber lasers with twin-spot welding optics.  This welding method has been refined in recent years and with these advancements, laser welding is becoming more economical, more robust for the tube mill environment and less costly to operate when compared to their counterparts: CO₂ laser and TIG/Plasma welding methods.  Integration into the mill systems has been improved and simplified.  The wall thickness boundaries are being further expanded with current capabilities for wall thicknesses up to 0.375” (9.5 mm).  There are no real limitations for the outer diameters to be processed, which will be dictated by surrounding equipment.  For more information, please contact sales@formtekgroup.com, or direct at +1(216) 292-6300.  Or visit us on the web at www.yodermfg.com.

Yoder is a member of the Formtek Group. Formtek is a group of long-established companies, each with a well-known name and a history of providing innovative, reliable equipment to the metal forming and metal processing industries. As a single source provider, Formtek continues to supply its customers with the highest quality equipment, parts and service available in the industries it serves.

Visit the Formtek website (www.formtekgroup.com) for additional information on products, services and employment opportunities available.

Reshaping Stainless Steel Tubing for Fluid Applications

Many customers who produce round austenitic stainless steel tubing often wonder how much reshaping can be performed while not harming the material integrity due to cold working and how they orient that section for their mill system.

Taking round product and reshaping, or reforming, into complex shapes is common among carbon steel tube producers but not common to austenitic stainless steel producers.  The term complex shape does not necessarily require various sharp angles, which has no purpose in fluid or Heat Transfer applications.  Instead, it complexity can encompass very thin, tall elliptical shapes that are not easily produced on standard, reshaping capable, tube mills.

Depending on the application, five, six, seven or more stands are required to reshape the round product into elliptical shapes.  It essentially depends on how much material must be physically moved.  A well-engineered tooling arrangement will design around a specific amount of material movement that can be accomplished per pass, per horizontal center (center between driven stands), etc.  Unlike more common tubing applications, the manufacture of complex stainless steel tubing requires an integrated tooling and mill design to truly optimize the forming process.  Most tube mill system producers do not have this expertise in house and must work with their tooling suppliers externally to determine the correct material flow patterns that yield satisfactory results.

Yoder Manufacturing, a long time supplier of tube & pipe mill systems, is unique in the industry.  As part of the Formtek Group, Yoder is able to supply tube mills, roll tooling and cutoff equipment, in conjunction with Hill Engineering, another Formtek company.  As a whole, they are able to look at the complete manufacturing system and apply appropriate disciplines to yield a system that reshapes round, fusion welded tubing into an ellipse.  Based on recent installations, Yoder installed an elliptical tube system that produces a finished product that is 73% thinner than the incoming round tube diameter (as shown below).

Due to the reshaping tooling designs, the final product had minimal surface marking, typically caused by speed mismatch, which was accomplished by considering the profile orientation through the mill:  the tall axis of the ellipse is horizontal, taking advantage of the natural forming state of the driven stands, while reducing the effects of rotational speed differences, due to changes in tool-to-section radii.

Orienting a section like this would normally cause headaches for cutoff manufacturers because the system requires a horizontal flow to shear the ellipse to length.  Again, Yoder and the intercompany expertise of Hill Engineering were able to look at the big picture and determine that designing a cutoff with a complete horizontal cutting motion yielded far more advantage to the reshaping process.

In summary, reshaping of austenitic tubing is possible but you must consider the overall manufacturing solution with the forming, tooling and cutoff as an integrated system.  Allowing ample amount of stands to perform the reshaping, and orienting the product so that it is aligned to the strengths of your mill system is crucial in producing a complex shape successfully.

For more information, contact yoder@formtekgroup.com or call (216) 292-4460.

Hill Engineering In-Line Flying Cut-Off

Hill Engineering's accurate, high speed, flying cut-off die/saw standard and custom systems combine affordability and technology. Each is equipped with an "Open Loop" or "Closed loop" programmable measuring system capability, batch counting and extremely accurate cut-to-length tolerances. Whatever your application may be; HVAC Flange, Welded Tubes, Window Products (screen frame, muntin, grids) or General Roll Forming Shapes, let Hill Engineering put our experience of over 200+ built flying saw systems for the roll forming industry to work for you.

Contact us today to see if our expertise can help you!!

Flying Saw

  For automotive window molding / co-extrusions, extrusions and rubber products. 

The B&K Versamill

The B&K Versamill System provides the capacity to produce 20 (0.9mm) and 25 (0.5mm) gauge stud  and track as well as various accessory components.  All of the parts can be produced at speeds up to 150 feet per minute (45mpm).  No roll changeover is required to begin producing stud and track components and accessory items across the range of the system.  The simple adjustments and operator screens are easily understood greatly reducing operator training time.  The system is easily installed and its compact foot print allows for optimum use of your floor space.

For more information on the B&K Versamill email us at bkformtekgroup.com or call us at (216) 292-4460

Automate Screen Assembly with Winpro Screen Express

Different projects demand different products; the Screen Express eliminates the labor intensive process of manually inserting spline for screen assembly.  This unique system can provide your business with the following long term competitive advantages.  The flexibility to handle door and window screen sizes ranging from 12in x 12in up to 80in x 38in with optional capability to 96in x 48in.  Produce 90 screens per hour, 24 hours a day, and 7 days a week.  For more information on Winpro products email us at winpro@formtekgroup.com or call us at (216) 292-4460.

Watch Video of Screen Express