Roll-forming machine

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6216514
  • Patent Number
    6,216,514
  • Date Filed
    Friday, January 22, 1999
    25 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, April 17, 2001
    23 years ago
Abstract
A roll-forming apparatus is provided with a plurality of roll-forming stations adapted to facilitate the formation of either a C-shaped component or a Z-shaped component from a sheet of material. The roll-forming stations have forming rolls that make contact with the sheet of material and a pair of telescoping arbor assemblies that support the forming rolls so that the lateral distance between the forming rolls may be adjusted. The roll-forming apparatus has a number of movable forming rolls and a number of fixed forming rolls having two different forming surfaces to facilitate the formation of both C-shaped and Z-shaped components.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to a roll-forming machine of the type which is used to form components, such as purlins, having C-shaped and Z-shaped cross-sections from sheets of planar material.




Roll-forming machines may have a plurality of roll-forming stations that are used to transform a planar sheet of metal into a component having either a C-shaped or Z-shaped cross-sectional area. The component, such as a C-purlin or Z-purlin, typically has a center portion, a pair of leg portions joined to the center portion by a substantially right angle bend formed by the roll-forming machine, and a flange joined to each leg portion by a respective bend formed by the machine.




The flanges of a C- or Z-shaped component may be made first by a plurality, such as three, roll-forming stations. The first of these stations makes an initial pair of bends at the desired lateral locations on the sheet, and then the successive stations for forming the flanges increase the previously made bends until the flanges are at the proper angle relative to the center portion of the sheet. The legs of the component are then formed by a plurality of roll-forming stations in a similar manner.




Each of the roll-forming stations may include a pair of frame members in which a pair of rotatable spindles are journalled, one spindle disposed directly above the other, and a pair of sleeves which cover a portion of the spindles, the sleeves being slidable over the spindles. Each roll-forming station includes at least two pairs of generally cylindrical plates, referred to herein as “forming rolls,” two of the forming rolls being fixed to the spindles and the other two forming rolls being fixed to the sleeves. The circumferential ends of the upper and lower forming rolls are vertically spaced apart by a distance corresponding to the thickness of the sheet of material being bent, and the shape or contour of the forming rolls controls the degree to which the sheet is bent. The use of sleeves which are slidable on the spindles and which rotate with the spindles allows the horizontal spacing of the forming rolls on each spindle and sleeve to be varied so that the transverse widths of the center portion and the leg portions of the components being formed can be adjusted.




The sheet of material is forced through the roll-forming machine by friction between the sheet and the rotating forming rolls. The forming rolls of a plurality of the roll-forming stations, e.g. the forming rolls of every other station, are rotatably driven to ensure that there is enough driving power to force the sheet through the machine.




In the case of a C-shaped component, the flanges are made by bending the lateral ends of the sheet in the same direction, for example, downwards, whereas for a Z-shaped component the flanges are made by bending the lateral sheet ends in opposite directions. After the flanges are formed on the lateral ends of the sheet, the legs are formed by a plurality of roll-forming stations by a similar process. To form a component in the above manner, up to ten or more roll-forming stations may be incorporated in the roll-forming machine.




One prior art roll-forming machine incorporates a first set of roll-forming stations adapted to form a Z-shaped component and a second set of roll-forming stations adapted to form a C-shaped component. The two sets of roll-forming stations are driven by a common drive mechanism, connectable to a plurality of roll-forming stations of each set by a pair of coupler mechanisms, so that only one of the sets of roll-forming stations is operable at a time. The forming rolls of both sets of roll-forming stations are horizontally adjustable, as described above, so that the transverse dimensions of the Z- and C-shaped components can be varied.




In the prior art roll-forming machine described above, in order to produce C-shaped components having different transverse dimensions, a pair of forming rolls which were disposed in a number of the roll-forming stations and which were adapted to make flush contact with the flanges of the C-shaped component had to be changed. In particular, where a C-shaped component having a first leg length was to be formed, after the leg portions were substantially formed, the flanges of the component would extend downwards by a distance corresponding to the leg length.




In order to ensure that the forming rolls designed to make flush contact with the flanges made such contact, those forming rolls had to be selected to have a diameter which ensured that the outer cylindrical surfaces of those forming rolls made contact with the flanges of the component. The position of those forming rolls could not be adjusted since they were fixed to a fixed-position spindle and sleeve rotatably journalled in a pair of frame members. Consequently, where C-shaped components having different leg lengths were to be formed, the forming rolls of a number of the roll-forming stations would have to be physically removed and replaced with forming rolls having different diameters.




In the prior art roll-forming machine described above, some of the roll-forming stations used to form Z-shaped components used a pair of angled contact rollers, one of which was disposed to make contact with the Z-shaped component at the inner portion of the bend in the sheet between the center portion and one of the leg portions, and the other of which was disposed to make contact with the Z-shaped component at the inner portion of the bend in the sheet between the center portion and the other leg portion. The position of each of those contact rollers was horizontally adjustable.




A number of roll-forming machines have been designed to form either C-shaped components or Z-shaped components in an economical manner. Examples of such roll-forming machines are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,294 to Philip Bradbury, et al. which is entitled “Split Level Roll Former,” and U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,295 to Karl Voth, et al. and entitled “Roll-Forming Machine.”




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The invention is directed to a roll-forming apparatus of the type which is used to form components, such as purlins, having C-shaped and/or Z-shaped cross-sections from sheets of planar material.




In one aspect, the invention is directed to a roll-forming apparatus having a first roll-forming station adapted to facilitate the formation of either a C-shaped component or a Z-shaped component from a sheet of material and which makes a pair of bends in the sheet of material at a first pair of locations on the sheet of material laterally spaced apart by a first distance. The first roll-forming station has a first pair of forming rolls that make contact with the sheet of material, a first telescoping arbor assembly that supports the first pair of forming rolls and which has a variable length to allow the lateral distance between the first pair of forming rolls to be adjusted, a second pair of forming rolls that make contact with the sheet of material and a second telescoping arbor assembly that supports the second pair of forming rolls and which has a variable length to allow the lateral distance between the second pair of forming rolls to be adjusted.




The roll-forming apparatus also has a second roll-forming station adapted to facilitate the formation of either a C-shaped component or a Z-shaped component from a sheet of material and which makes a pair of bends in the sheet of material at a second pair of locations on the sheet of material after the pair of bends are made in the sheet of material by the first roll-forming station, the second pair of locations being laterally spaced apart by a second distance smaller than the first distance. The second roll-forming station has a first pair of forming rolls that make contact with the sheet of material, a first telescoping arbor assembly having a variable length that supports the first pair of forming rolls of the second roll-forming station, a second pair of forming rolls that make contact with the sheet of material, and a second variable length telescoping arbor assembly that supports the second pair of forming rolls of the second roll-forming station.




The roll-forming apparatus may also include a movable forming roll having a forming surface and a support that is adapted to support the movable forming roll in a first position in which the forming surface of the movable forming roll makes contact with a sheet of material being made into a Z-shaped component and in a second position in which the forming surface of the movable forming roll makes contact with a sheet of material being made into a C-shaped component.




In another aspect, the invention is directed to a roll-forming apparatus having a first roll-forming station adapted to facilitate the formation of either a C-shaped or Z-shaped component from a sheet of material, the first roll-forming station making a bend in the sheet of material and having a plurality of forming rolls, a second roll-forming station adapted to facilitate the formation of either a C-shaped component or a Z-shaped component from a sheet of material, the second roll-forming station making a bend in the sheet of material and having a plurality of forming rolls, and a two-surface forming roll having a first forming surface and a second forming surface. The two-surface forming roll is positioned so that the first forming surface makes contact with the sheet of material when the sheet is being formed into a Z-shaped component and so that the second forming surface makes contact with the sheet of material when the sheet is being formed into a C-shaped component.




The invention may also include a forming roll support that supports the two-surface forming roll in a fixed position so that the two-surface forming roll may make contact with a sheet of material being formed into a C-shaped component when the two-surface forming roll is in the fixed position and so that the two-surface forming roll may make contact with a sheet of material being formed into a Z-shaped component when the two-surface forming roll is in the same fixed position.




The invention is also directed to a roll-forming apparatus having a total number of roll-forming stations including a first roll-forming station which is adapted to facilitate the formation of either a C-shaped or Z-shaped component from a sheet of material. The first roll-forming station has a forming roll with a forming surface and which is movable between a first position in which the forming surface makes contact with a sheet of material being made into a Z-shaped component and a second position in which the forming surface makes contact with a sheet of material being made into a C-shaped component.




The roll-forming apparatus also includes a plurality of second roll-forming stations which are adapted to facilitate the formation of either a C-shaped or Z-shaped component from a sheet of material. Each of the second roll-forming stations has a plurality of forming rolls that are disposed in fixed positions so that the forming rolls may make contact with a sheet of material being formed into a C-shaped component when the forming rolls are in the fixed positions and so that the forming rolls may make contact with a sheet of material being formed into a Z-shaped component when the forming rolls are in the same fixed positions. The second roll-forming stations do not having any forming rolls that must be moved in order to make contact with a sheet of material being formed into a C-shaped component and to make contact with a sheet of material being formed into a Z-shaped component.




In another aspect, the invention is directed to a roll-forming station for facilitating the formation of either a Z-shaped or C-shaped component from a sheet of material and which makes a pair of bends in the sheet of material at a first pair of laterally spaced locations on the sheet of material. The roll-forming station includes a first pair of forming rolls that make contact with the sheet of material, a first telescoping arbor assembly that supports the first pair of forming rolls and which has a variable length to allow the lateral distance between the first pair of forming rolls to be adjusted, a second pair of forming rolls that make contact with the sheet of material, a second telescoping arbor assembly that supports the second pair of forming rolls and which has a variable length to allow the lateral distance between the second pair of forming rolls to be adjusted, a first support plate that rotatably supports a first end of each of the arbor assemblies, a second support plate laterally spaced from the first support plate that rotatably supports a second end of each of the arbor assemblies, and a two-surface forming roll.




The two-surface forming roll has a first forming surface and a second forming surface and may be positioned so that the first forming surface makes contact with a sheet of material being formed into a Z-shaped component and so that the second forming surface makes contact with a sheet of material being formed into a C-shaped component.




The invention is also directed to a roll-forming station for facilitating the formation of either a Z-shaped component or a C-shaped component from a sheet of material. The roll-forming station includes a first pair of forming rolls that make contact with the sheet of material, a first telescoping arbor assembly that supports the first pair of forming rolls and which has a variable length to allow the lateral distance between the first pair of forming rolls to be adjusted, a second pair of forming rolls that make contact with the sheet of material, a second telescoping arbor assembly that supports the second pair of forming rolls and which has a variable length to allow the lateral distance between the second pair of forming rolls to be adjusted, a first support plate that rotatably supports a first end of each of the arbor assemblies, a second support plate laterally spaced from the first support plate that rotatably supports a second end of each of the arbor assemblies, a movable forming roll having a forming surface, and a support assembly adapted to support the movable forming roll.




The support assembly supports the movable forming roll at a first elevation at which the forming surface of the movable forming roll makes contact with a sheet of material that is being made into a Z-shaped component and at a second elevation at which the forming surface of the movable forming roll makes contact with a sheet of material that is being made into a C-shaped component.




The invention is also directed to a method of forming components which includes the steps of: (a) feeding a first sheet of material into a roll-forming machine having a plurality of fixed roll-forming stations and a plurality of reconfigurable roll-forming stations so that the first sheet of material passes through each of the fixed and reconfigurable roll-forming stations so that the first sheet of material is formed into a C-shaped component. The reconfigurable roll-forming stations have a first configuration designed to produce C-shaped components and a second configuration designed to produce Z-shaped components, and the fixed roll-forming stations having a single configuration designed to produce both C-shaped components and Z-shaped components. The method also includes the steps of (b) changing the configuration of each the reconfigurable roll-forming stations from the first configuration to the second configuration without changing the single configuration of the fixed roll-forming stations after the first sheet of material is formed into a C-shaped component, and (c) feeding a second sheet of material into the roll-forming machine so that the second sheet of material passes through each of the fixed and reconfigurable roll-forming stations so that the second sheet of material is formed into a Z-shaped component. The invention is also directed to a similar method where Z-shaped components are made first, then the roll-forming machine is reconfigured to make C-shaped components.




The invention is also directed to a roll-forming apparatus having a plurality of roll-forming stations which are adapted to facilitate the formation of C-shaped components and Z-shaped components from sheets of material and a component straightener that is adapted to straighten both C-shaped components and Z-shaped components. The component straightener includes a frame, a first straightener fixture associated with the frame and having at least two forming rolls adapted to straighten a C-shaped component, a second straightener fixture associated with the frame and having at least two forming rolls adapted to straighten a Z-shaped component, and an actuator that causes the first straightener fixture to be aligned to receive C-shaped components from the roll-forming stations when they are forming C-shaped components and the second straightener fixture to be aligned to receive Z-shaped components from the roll-forming stations when they are forming Z-shaped components.




The frame may be composed of a stationary frame portion and a movable frame portion supported by the stationary frame portion, and the first and second straightener fixtures may be supported by the movable frame portion. The components being formed by the roll-forming stations may exit the roll-forming stations at an exit elevation, and the actuator may cause one of the straightener fixtures to be vertically moved to the exit elevation so that the component enters the one straightener fixture at that elevation.




The features and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the detailed description of the preferred embodiment, which is made with reference to the drawings, a brief description of which is provided below.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a side view of a portion of a preferred embodiment of a roll-forming machine in accordance with the invention;





FIG. 1A

illustrates a C-shaped component that may be produced by the roll-forming machine;





FIG. 1B

illustrates a Z-shaped component that may be produced by the roll-forming machine;





FIG. 2A

illustrates a first roll-forming station of the roll-forming machine with a movable forming roll shown in a lowered position;





FIG. 2B

illustrates the roll-forming station of

FIG. 2A

with the movable forming roll shown in a raised position;





FIG. 3

is a cross-sectional view of one of the roll-forming stations of the roll-forming machine generally taken along the lines


3





3


of

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 4

is a cross-sectional view of one of the roll-forming stations of the roll-forming machine generally taken along the lines


4





4


of

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 5A

is a cross-sectional view of one of the roll-forming stations of the roll-forming machine generally taken along the lines


5


A—


5


A of

FIG. 1

shown forming a C-shaped component;





FIG. 5B

is a view of the roll-forming station of

FIG. 5A

shown forming a Z-shaped component;





FIG. 6

is a perspective view of a portion of the roll-forming station of

FIGS. 2A and 2B

;





FIG. 7

is a perspective view of a portion of the roll-forming station of

FIG. 3

;





FIG. 8

is a first elevational view of a component straightener that may be incorporated in the roll-forming machine;





FIG. 9

is a second elevational view of the component straightener of

FIG. 8

; and





FIG. 10

is a top view of a portion of the component straightener.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS





FIG. 1

illustrates a schematic side view of a preferred embodiment of a roll-forming machine


10


in accordance with the invention with portions of the roll-forming machine omitted for sake of clarity. The roll-forming machine


10


is adapted to selectively form either C- or Z-shaped components from sheets of material using a single row of roll-forming stations aligned in a linear direction.




The roll-forming machine


10


includes two basic types of roll-forming stations: 1) roll-forming stations in which all of the forming rolls are disposed in a single, “fixed” position, regardless of whether a C-shaped or Z-shaped component is being formed, which are referred to herein as “fixed” roll-forming stations; and 2) roll-forming stations which include a least one forming roll that must be moved in order to reconfigure the roll-forming machine


10


to make C-shaped components after it has made Z-shaped components, and vice versa, which are referred to herein as “reconfigurable” roll-forming stations.




The term “fixed” used in connection with the first type of roll-forming station noted above does not preclude the ability of the position of a forming roll to be adjusted to accommodate, for example, differences in thickness of the sheets of material from which the components are being formed.




Referring to

FIG. 1

, the roll-forming machine


10


is composed of a total of twelve roll-forming stations


12


-


34


. When a sheet of material is being formed into a component, the sheet is passed from left to right in

FIG. 1

, so that the sheet initially enters the roll-forming station


12


and eventually reaches the roll-forming station


34


. Of those twelve roll-forming stations, the first six roll-forming stations


12


,


14


,


16


,


18


,


20


and


22


are reconfigurable and the last six roll-forming stations


24


,


26


,


28


,


30


,


32


and


34


are fixed. The roll-forming machine


10


could be provided with more than or fewer than twelve roll-forming stations.





FIG. 1A

illustrates an end view of an exemplary C-shaped component


50


that may be formed by the roll-forming machine


10


from a sheet of material. That C-shaped component


50


has a center portion


52


, a pair of legs


54


adjacent the center portion


52


and separated from the center portion


52


by a pair of bends


56


, and a pair of flanges


58


adjacent the legs


54


and separated from the legs


54


by a pair of bends


59


.





FIG. 1B

illustrates an end view of an exemplary Z-shaped component


60


that may be formed by the roll-forming machine


10


from a sheet of material. That Z-shaped component


60


has a center portion


62


, a pair of legs


64


adjacent the center portion


62


and separated from the center portion


62


by a pair of bends


66


, and a pair of flanges


68


adjacent the legs


64


and separated from the legs


64


by a pair of bends


69


. The C- and Z-shaped components referred to herein include components that have a non-linear center portion


52


or


62


.




The roll-forming machine


10


forms C- and Z-shaped components, which may be referred to as “purlins” and which are typically formed from sheets of steel, by successively making bends in the sheet of steel at room temperature. The first three roll-forming stations


12


,


14


,


16


are used to form the flanges


58


,


68


of the components


50


,


60


by making an initial pair of bends in the sheet of material at the laterally spaced apart bend locations


59


,


69


, respectively, and then making further bends at those locations


59


,


69


until the flanges


58


,


68


, respectively, occupy the desired angled orientation relative to the legs


54


,


64


, respectively.




The remaining roll-forming stations


18


-


34


are used to form the legs


54


,


64


of the components by making a second pair of bends in the sheet of material, the second pair of bends being spaced apart by a lateral distance smaller than the first pair of bends, until legs


54


,


64


occupy the desired angled orientation relative to the center portions


52


,


62


, respectively.





FIG. 2A

is an elevational view, with portions shown in cross section, of the first roll-forming station


12


along with other portions of the roll-forming machine


10


. Referring to

FIG. 2A

, the roll-forming machine


10


has a base


70


on which an outboard support plate


72


and an inboard support plate


74


are supported. The outboard support plate


72


supports three outboard roll stands


76


, one for each of the three roll-forming stations


12


,


14


,


16


. The inboard support plate


74


supports three inboard roll stands


78


, one for each of the three roll-forming stations


12


,


14


,


16


, and a conventional drive mechanism


80


. As used herein, the term “inboard” is used to describe a component that is situated relatively close to the drive mechanism


80


, and the term “outboard” is used to describe a component that is situated relatively far from the drive mechanism


80


.




The outboard support plate


72


is supported on a slide bearing fixture


82


which allows the position of the support plate


72


(and the outboard roll stands


76


of the three roll-forming stations


12


,


14


,


16


fixed to the support plate


72


to be laterally adjusted. The inboard support plate


74


is supported on a pair of slide bearing fixtures


84


,


86


, which allows the position of the support plate


74


(and the inboard roll stands


78


of the three roll-forming stations


12


,


14


,


16


and the drive mechanism


80


) to be laterally adjusted.




The roll stands


76


,


78


of each of the roll-forming stations


12


,


14


,


16


support an upper telescoping arbor assembly


90


and a lower telescoping arbor assembly


92


. The upper arbor assembly


90


includes a solid arbor


90




a


and a cylindrical sleeve


90




b,


and the lower arbor assembly


92


includes a solid arbor


92




a


and a cylindrical sleeve


92




b.


Each sleeve


90




b,




92




b


is slidable along the longitudinal axis of its respective arbor


90




a,




92




a,


but each sleeve


90




b,




92




b


is rotatably fixed to its respective arbor


90




a,




92




a,


such as by keying each sleeve


90




b,




92




b


into a respective elongate slot


90




c,




92




c


formed in each arbor


90




a,




92




a,


so that rotation of the arbors


90




a,




92




a


forces the sleeves


90




b,




92




b


to rotate.




The arbor assemblies


90


,


92


are rotatably journalled in the roll stands


76


,


78


by a number of conventional bearing assemblies


94


, two of which are disposed in each outboard roll stand


76


and two of which are disposed in each inboard roll stand


78


. A pair of upper cylindrical forming rolls


96


are fixed to the upper telescoping arbor assembly


90


, one of the forming rolls


96


being fixed to the sleeve


90




b


and the other being fixed to the arbor


90




a,


and a pair of lower cylindrical forming rolls


98


are fixed to the lower telescoping arbor assembly


92


, one of the forming rolls


98


being fixed to the sleeve


92




b


and the other being fixed to the arbor


92




a.


The forming rolls


96


,


98


are fixed to the arbor assemblies


90


,


92


so that rotation of the arbor assemblies


90


,


92


causes rotation of the forming rolls


96


,


98


.




The arbor assemblies


90


,


92


are rotatably driven by a drive system which includes a pair of intermeshed drive gears


100


,


102


, each of which is fixed to a respective one of the arbor assemblies


90


,


92


, and a conventional coupling mechanism, schematically shown at


104


, between the lower drive gear


102


and the drive mechanism


80


. As is known, not all of the arbor assemblies


90


,


92


of the roll-forming machine need to be rotatably driven by the drive mechanism


80


. Some roll-forming stations can be undriven, and other roll forming stations can be indirectly driven, such as by gearing or chains connected between adjacent roll-forming stations.




Each of the roll stands


76


,


78


that supports the arbor assemblies


90


,


92


includes a conventional adjustment mechanism


110


which may be used to either raise or lower the upper arbor assembly


90


so that the spacing between the forming rolls


96


,


98


may be adjusted to accommodate sheets of material having different thicknesses.




The lateral spacing of the roll stands


76


,


78


of the first three roll-forming stations


12


,


14


,


16


may be adjusted by an elongate positioning screw


120


that is driven by a motor assembly


122


. An internally threaded positioning coupler


124


is coupled to the positioning screw


120


so that rotation of the screw


120


causes linear translation of the support plate


74


relative to the support plate


72


. The positioning coupler


124


may be connected to the underside of the support plate


74


through a slot (not shown). The position of the outboard support plate


72


may be adjusted by a separate mechanism (not shown), which may be the same or similar to the positioning mechanism described above which causes translation of the support plate


74


.




Referring to

FIG. 2A

, the roll-forming machine


10


has an outboard forming roll


130


and an inboard forming roll


132


. The outboard forming roll


130


is supported by a movable support arm


134


that is coupled to the outboard roll stand


76


, and the inboard forming roll


132


is supported by a fixed support arm


136


connected to the inboard roll stand


78


. Both of the forming rolls


130


,


132


are rotatably mounted to the support arms


134


,


136


via conventional bearings.




The outboard forming roll


130


is movable so that it can be moved between a lower position, as shown in

FIG. 2A

, in order to form the flanges


68


of a Z-shaped component


60


, and an upper position, as shown in

FIG. 2B

, in order to form the flanges


58


of a C-shaped component


50


. The manner in which the outboard forming roll


130


is moved is described in connection with FIG.


6


.





FIG. 6

is a perspective view of an outboard roll stand


76


and structure that movably supports the outboard forming roll


130


. Referring to

FIG. 6

, the outboard forming roll


130


is rotatably attached to the movable support arm


134


, which is pivotally connected to the outboard roll stand


76


at a pivot point via a pivot member


140


. A first end


141


of the movable support arm


134


is connected to an actuator


142


, which may comprise for example a hydraulic or pneumatic actuator having a cylinder


144


and a piston rod


146


retractable within the cylinder


144


. The upper end of the actuator


142


may be connected to the outboard roll stand


76


via a mounting plate


148


.




When the piston rod


146


is drawn into the cylinder


144


, the end


141


of the support arm


134


is forced upwards, which causes the outboard forming roll


130


to be moved downwards. When the piston


146


is forced out of the cylinder


144


, the end


141


of the support arm


134


is forced downwards, which causes the outboard forming roll


130


to be moved upwards.




A second end


149


of the movable support arm


134


may extend between an upper adjustable stop mechanism


150


and a lower adjustable stop mechanism


152


in order to define the permissible range of movement of the support arm


134


, and thus the permissible range of vertical movement of the outboard forming roll


130


. As shown in

FIG. 6

, the adjustable stop mechanisms


150


,


152


may incorporate a bolt


154


which is adjustably threaded into a mounting block


156


so that the ends of the bolts


154


define the permissible range of movement of the end


149


of the movable support arm


134


by making physical contact with the end


149


.




As noted above in connection with

FIG. 2A

, the lateral spacing between outboard and inboard roll stands


76


,


78


is adjustable, so that flanges


58


,


68


of different widths may be formed, via an adjustment mechanism that includes the motor assembly


122


, the positioning screw


120


and the positioning coupler


124


. The lateral spacing between the outboard and inboard roll stands


76


,


78


of the roll-forming stations


18


-


34


that follow the first three roll-forming stations


12


,


14


,


16


may be adjusted, so that center portions


52


,


62


of different lengths may be formed, via a similar adjustment mechanism (not shown). To that end, the outboard roll stands


76


of those roll-forming stations


18


-


34


may be provided on a separate support plate


160


(

FIG. 1

) than the support plate


72


that supports the outboard roll stands


76


of the first three roll-forming stations


12


,


14


,


16


, so that lateral spacing of the roll stands


76


,


78


of the first three roll-forming stations


12


,


14


,


16


is adjustable independently of that of the remaining roll-forming stations


18


-


34


.




The structure of the second roll-forming station


14


is substantially the same as that of the first roll-forming station


12


described above, except that the outboard and inboard forming rolls


130


,


132


have a slightly different shape so as to bend the flanges


58


or


68


of the component being formed slightly more.





FIG. 3

is a cross-sectional view of the third roll-forming station


16


generally taken along the lines


3





3


of FIG.


1


. The third roll-forming station


16


is used only where a C-shaped component


50


is being formed in order to complete the bending of the flanges


58


so that they are perpendicular to the remaining portion of the sheet of material, as shown in FIG.


1


A.




Referring to

FIG. 3

, the third roil-forming station


16


has a pair of forming rolls


162


, each of which is rotatable about a vertical axis. Each of the forming rolls


162


is supported by a laterally movable support arm


164


coupled to one of the roll stands


76


,


78


as described below in connection with FIG.


7


. When a sheet of material is being formed into a C-shaped component


50


, each forming roll


162


is moved to occupy an inner or engaged position in which the forming roll


162


abuts a sheet of material in order to bend the flanges


58


to perpendicular to the central portion


52


of the sheet.




When a sheet of material is being formed into a Z-shaped component


60


, each forming roll


162


may be moved to occupy an outer or retracted position in which the forming roll


162


does not make any contact with the sheet. Where a Z-shaped component


60


as shown in

FIG. 1B

is being formed with flanges


68


that are not perpendicular to the legs


64


, it is not desired to make any further bend in the sheet of material at the third roll-forming station


16


; consequently, in that case the forming rolls


162


are moved to their retracted position.




The manner in which the forming rolls


162


are mounted and the manner in which they are laterally moved is shown in FIG.


7


. Referring to

FIG. 7

, a first end


166


of the movable support arm


164


that carries the forming roll


162


is pivotally connected at a pivot point


168


to a mounting bracket


170


connected to the roll stand


78


. The opposite end


172


of the support arm


164


is connected to a piston rod


174


that may be retracted into a pneumatically or hydraulically actuated cylinder


176


mounted to the roll stand


78


via a mounting bracket


178


.




When the piston rod


174


is forced out of the cylinder


176


, the forming roll


162


is moved towards its engaged position, and when the piston rod


174


is drawn into the cylinder


176


, the forming roll


162


is moved towards its retracted position. Mechanical stops to precisely define the retracted and engaged positions of the forming rolls


162


may be used.




Referring to

FIGS. 6 and 7

, the forming rolls


130


,


162


are shown to be mounted to the roll stands


76


,


78


, respectively. However, those forming rolls


130


,


162


and other forming rolls disclosed herein could alternatively be mounted, for example, on separate mounting fixtures not directly connected to the roll stands


76


,


78


, but instead on mounting fixtures disposed between adjacent roll stands


76


,


78


.





FIG. 4

is a cross-sectional view of the fourth roll-forming station


18


generally taken along the lines


4





4


of FIG.


1


. The fourth roll-forming station


18


is used to begin the formation of the legs


54


,


64


of either a C-shaped component


50


or a Z-shaped component


60


. The fourth roll-forming station


18


shown in

FIG. 4

is generally the same as the first roll-forming station


12


described above in connection with

FIGS. 2A and 2B

, except that the forming rolls


130


,


132


are spaced more closely together so as to begin to bend the legs


54


,


64


of either a C-shaped component


50


or a Z-shaped component


60


(the roll-forming station


18


of

FIG. 4

is shown from the opposite direction as the roll-forming station


12


of FIGS.


2


A and


2


B).




When the legs


54


of a C-shaped component


50


are being formed as shown in

FIG. 4

, the movable forming roll


130


mounted to the support arm


134


is moved to a relatively high position so that the right-hand leg


54


of the C-shaped component


50


is bent downwards. To form the legs


64


of a Z-shaped component


60


, the forming roll


130


is moved to a relatively lower position (not shown, but corresponding to the position of the forming roll


130


shown in

FIG. 2A

) so that the right-hand leg


64


of the Z-shaped component


60


is bent upwards.




Roll-forming stations


20


,


22


are substantially the same as the roll-forming station


18


described above, except that the forming rolls


130


,


132


of the roll-forming stations


20


,


22


are shaped differently so as to bend the legs


54


,


64


of the sheet of material to a greater degree.





FIG. 5A

is a cross-sectional view of the seventh roll-forming station


24


generally taken along the lines


5


A—


5


A of FIG.


1


. The seventh roll-forming station


24


is used to further bend the legs


54


,


64


of either a C-shaped component


50


or a Z-shaped component


60


. Referring to

FIG. 5A

, which illustrates the formation of a C-shaped component


50


, the further bending of the legs


54


is accomplished by an inboard forming roll


180


and an outboard forming roll


182


. The inboard forming roll


180


is rotatably supported about a vertical axis of rotation by a support assembly


184


, and the outboard forming roll


182


is rotatably supported about a vertical axis of rotation by a support assembly


186


.




The forming roll


182


has a V-shaped side profile, with an upper forming surface


182




a


and a lower forming surface


182




b


which meet at a junction


182




c.


When a C-shaped component


50


is being formed, as shown in

FIG. 5A

, the lower forming surface


182




b


makes contact with the right-hand leg


54


of the component


50


to increase the degree of bending between the leg


54


and the central portion


52


of the C-shaped component


50


. When a Z-shaped component


60


is being formed, as shown in

FIG. 5B

, the upper forming surface


182




a


makes contact with the right-hand leg


64


of the component


60


to increase the degree of upward bending of the leg


64


relative to the central portion


62


of the Z-shaped component


60


.




The support assembly


186


holds the forming roll


182


in a fixed position in which the junction


182




c


of the forming roll


182


is located generally at the same elevation as the vertical midpoint of the center portion


52


or


62


of the sheet of material, as shown in

FIGS. 5A and 5B

. As a result, when a C-shaped component


50


is being formed as shown in

FIG. 5A

, the right-hand leg


54


automatically comes into contact with the lower forming surface


182




b,


which increases the bend between the leg


54


and the center portion


52


. When a Z-shaped component


60


is being formed, as shown in

FIG. 5B

, the right-hand leg


64


automatically comes into contact with the upper forming surface


182




a,


which increases the bend between the leg


64


and the center portion


62


.




Consequently, when the configuration of the roll-forming machine


10


is changed from a first configuration in which C-shaped components


50


are produced to a second configuration in which Z-shaped components


60


are being produced, it is not necessary to change the position of the forming roll


182


. That change in configuration only requires the position of the movable forming rolls


130


and


162


described above in connection with

FIGS. 6 and 7

to be changed.




The roll-forming stations


26


-


34


are similar to the roll-forming station


24


described above in connection with

FIGS. 5A and 5B

in that each incorporates at least one fixed forming roll having two forming surfaces, like the two-surface forming roll


182


shown in

FIGS. 5A and 5B

, each of which acts to increase the bend in the component, with one of the forming surfaces of the two-surface forming roll


182


contacting the leg


54


when a C-shaped component


50


is being formed and with the other forming surface contacting the leg


64


when a Z-shaped component


60


is being formed.




Each of the roll stands


76


,


78


of the roll-forming stations


12


-


34


may have one or more apertures formed therein, such as apertures


188


shown in

FIG. 5A

, to accommodate the various forming rolls associated with the roll stands


76


,


78


.




Prior to operation, the roll-forming machine


10


is configured to produce either a C-shaped component


50


or a Z-shaped component


60


. To that end, each of the reconfigurable roll-forming stations


12


-


22


may be set to the desired configuration by moving the movable forming rolls


130


to either their upper or lower positions, as shown for example, in

FIGS. 2A and 2B

. There is no need to configure the fixed roll-forming stations


24


-


34


since they have a single configuration which may produce both C-shaped components


50


and Z-shaped components


60


.




After such initial configuration, the roll-forming machine


10


is used to transform the desired number of sheets into the desired type of components. During operation, each sheet of material is successively bent, as it passes through each of the roll-forming stations


12


-


34


, from a flat sheet of material into either a C-shaped component


50


or a Z-shaped component


60


. The flanges of the component are formed by the roll-forming stations


12


-


16


and the legs of the component are formed by the roll-forming stations


18


-


34


.




When it is desired to use the roll-forming machine


10


to form a different type of component, the configuration of each of the configurable roll-forming stations


12


-


22


is changed, without the need to change the configuration of the roll-forming stations


24


-


34


, and sheets of material are fed into the roll-forming machine


10


to form the desired components.




Additional features may be incorporated in the roll-forming machine


10


, such as features described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,295 to Karl Voth, et al., which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.




Although the roll-forming machine


10


described above forms the flanges of the Z- and C-shaped components


50


,


60


before forming the legs of those components, the machine


10


could be modified so that the legs of the Z- and/or C-shaped components


50


,


60


are formed before the flanges.




The roll-forming machine


10


may include a component straightener


200


in order to straighten the C- and Z-shaped components


50


,


60


after they are formed by the roll-forming stations


12


-


34


. The component straightener


200


may be used to correct any one or more of the following conditions in a C-shaped and/or a Z-shaped component: 1) flare; 2) twist; 3) vertical bow; and 4) horizontal bow. The straightener


200


does not make large bends in the component being formed, a “large” bend being defined herein as a bend of greater than about five degrees of one portion of the component (e.g. the leg


54


of a C-shaped component


50


) relative to another portion of the component (e.g. the center portion


52


of a C-shaped component).




Two elevational views of the component straightener


200


are shown in

FIGS. 8 and 9

. Referring to

FIG. 8

, the component straightener


200


includes a straightener fixture


210


for straightening Z-shaped components


60


and a straightener fixture


220


for straightening C-shaped components


50


. The right-hand side of the straightener fixture


210


has a relatively large inner forming roll


222


and a pair of spaced-apart outer forming rolls


224


, with the inner forming roll


222


being disposed directly adjacent the gap between the two outer forming rolls


224


. All of the forming rolls


222


,


224


are positioned to make contact with the leg


64


of a Z-shaped component


60


.




The inner forming roll


222


is supported by a laterally adjustable plate


226


. As shown in

FIG. 10

, the adjustable plate


226


is disposed within a U-shaped groove


228


formed in a support plate


230


, and the adjustable plate


226


is internally threaded to receive a positioning screw


232


connected to an adjustment knob


234


. Turning the positioning screw


232


causes the lateral position of the adjustable plate


226


, and thus the lateral position of the inner forming roll


222


, to be adjusted relative to the outer forming rolls


224


, which are in a fixed position, being connected to the underside of the support plate


230


.




Referring to

FIG. 10

, the support plate


230


is fixed to a slider block


240


which is slidably attached to a T-shaped guide rail


242


fixed to a movable frame member


244


. A motor


246


is mounted to the top of the movable frame member


244


, and the motor


246


is coupled to drive a positioning screw


248


that passes through a threaded hole


250


(

FIG. 10

) in the support plate


230


. The motor


246


may be activated to turn the positioning screw


248


so as to raise or lower, relative to the movable frame member


244


, the support plate


230


which supports the inner and outer forming rolls


222


,


224


.




The left-hand side of the straightener fixture


210


is of substantially the same design as the right-hand side described above, and the components of the left-hand side of the straightener fixture


210


which correspond with components of the right-hand side are designated with the same numerals.




Referring to the lower portion of

FIG. 8

, the right-hand side of the straightener fixture


220


for straightening C-shaped components has two inner forming rolls


256


and two pairs of bell-shaped outer forming rolls


258


, each of the inner forming rolls


256


being disposed directly adjacent the gap between its associated pair of outer forming rolls


258


. The forming rolls


256


,


258


are disposed in a fixed vertical position relative to the movable frame members


244


, and each of the inner forming rolls


256


is movable relative to its associated pair of outer forming rolls


258


by a respective sliding-block-and-positioning-screw assembly (not shown) like the one described above in connection with FIG.


10


. If necessary or desired, the positioning screw used to adjust the position of the forming rolls


256


may be a conventional flexible positioning screw or drive shaft which is flexible while at the same time transmitting rotation from one of its ends to the other.




Each of the two movable frame members


244


is disposed between a pair of vertically stationary frame members


260


, with two of the stationary frame members


260


disposed on each side of the component straightener


200


. Each of the stationary frame members


260


is supported by a base portion


262


, and each pair of the stationary members


260


is spaced apart with a vertically stationary frame member


264


disposed therebetween.




Each of the frame members


264


supports a motor


266


, and each motor


266


is coupled to drive a rotatable positioning screw


268


threaded through a threaded aperture in a respective coupler


270


, each of which is attached to one of the movable frame members


244


via a coupling assembly (not shown) disposed between each pair of frame members


260


. In operation, the motors


266


may be used to raise or lower the movable frame members


244


, and thus both of the straightening fixtures


210


,


220


, relative to the vertically stationary frame members


260


and the base portions


262


.




Referring to

FIG. 9

, which is a side view of the component straightener


200


opposite that of

FIG. 8

, the straightener fixture


210


for Z-shaped components


60


also includes a pair of angled, inner forming rolls


270


rotatably supported by a pair of support members


272


fixed to the movable frame members


244


and a pair of bell-shaped, outer forming rolls


274


supported by the support members


272


. The vertical position of each of the outer forming rolls


274


is adjustable via a knob


276


and a support assembly


278


(shown schematically) which includes a positioning screw (not shown) and an adjustable block (not shown) like the positioning assembly described above in connection with FIG.


10


.




Referring to

FIG. 9

, the base portions


262


are bolted to a pair of support plates


272


, which may be bolted to the support plates which support the roll stands


76


,


78


of the last roll-forming station


34


. Each of the base portions


262


has a pair of slots (not shown) formed therein, and a horizontal plate


280


is slidably disposed within each pair of the slots. The slidable plate


280


supports the vertically stationary frame members


260


, so that those members


260


are slidable relative to the plate


272


.




Each of the vertically stationary frame members


260


may be moved simultaneously to the right or to the left, relative to the plate


272


, via a positioning mechanism


300


which includes a positioning wheel


302


coupled to a positioning screw


304


which passes through a hollow interior portion


306


in the base


262


.




The positioning screw


304


passes through a retaining assembly


310


that is fixed to the slidable plate


280


. The retaining assembly


310


may include a support member


312


having a hole through which the positioning screw


304


passes, a pair of washers


314


, and a pair of threaded collars


316


fixed to the positioning screw


304


, such as by a lock screw (not shown) threaded into each of the collars


316


that makes contact with the positioning screw


304


. The positioning screw


304


also passes through a threaded block


318


fixed to the plate


272


.




As the positioning wheel


302


is rotated, the positioning screw


304


rotates and moves horizontally relative to the threaded block


318


. At the same time, the threaded collars


316


rotate and translate horizontally with the positioning screw


304


, causing the support member


312


, the slidable plate


280


, and the frame member


260


supported by the slidable plate


280


to also horizontally translate relative to the plate


272


.




The end of the positioning screw


304


is connected via a coupler


320


to a shaft


322


having a hexagonally shaped cross section. The shaft


322


is disposed within and slidable relative to a sleeve


324


having a hexagonally shaped recess formed therein. The sleeve


324


is fixed to a second positioning screw


326


, which passes through a threaded block


328


fixed to the right-hand support plate


272


. The positioning screw


326


also passes through a retaining assembly (not shown) similar to the retaining assembly


310


described above, which retaining assembly is connected to a support plate (not shown) that is slidable relative to the right-hand frame members


260


.




When the positioning wheel


302


is turned, the hexagonal shaft


322


rotates with the positioning screw


304


, forcing the sleeve


324


and the positioning screw


326


to rotate as well, and causes the right-hand frame members


260


to horizontally translate in the same direction as the left-hand frame members


260


in the same manner as described above.




The use of the shaft


322


that is hexagonally keyed into the sleeve


324


allows the left-hand and right-hand frame members


260


to be moved closer together and farther apart (the shaft


322


is slidable within the sleeve


324


) while at the same time transmitting rotation from the positioning screw


304


to the positioning screw


326


. The lateral spacing of the frame members


260


may be adjusted, to accommodate components of different widths, by mounting the plates


272


to the same support plates, described above, that support the roll stands


76


,


78


of the roll-forming stations


18


-


34


, so that the adjustment of the spacing of those roll stands


76


,


78


automatically results in the proper adjustment of the lateral spacing of the frame members


260


of the component straightener


200


.




In operation of the roll-forming machine


10


, either C-shaped components


50


or Z-shaped components


60


pass through the last roll-forming station


34


at a predetermined elevation. If Z-shaped components


60


are being formed, the upper straightener


210


is vertically positioned (via the motors


266


) so that its elevation matches that of the last roll-forming station


34


. If C-shaped components


50


are being formed, the lower straightener


210


is vertically positioned (via the motors


266


) so that its elevation matches that of the last roll-forming station


34


.




In order to correct for twist of a component, one side of the straightener


210


or


220


being used is raised or lowered, relative to the other side of the straightener, to take the twist out of the component. For example, one of the motors


266


would be driven to raise or lower the right-hand movable frame members


260


relative to the left-hand frame members


260


. In order to correct for flare of a component, one of the inner forming rolls


222


,


256


would be moved in or out relative to the outer forming rolls


224


,


258


.




In order to correct for vertical bow of a component, the movable frame members


260


of both sides of the component straightener


200


would be moved simultaneously up or down via the motors


266


. This would cause a bow in the opposite vertical direction since a portion of the component would still be retained within at least the last roll-forming station


34


.




In order to correct for horizontal bow of a component, the positioning wheel


302


would be rotated in one direction or the other, so that both of the frame members


260


would be moved either to the right or to the left, as described above. this would cause a bow in the opposite horizontal direction since a portion of the component would still be retained within at least the last roll-forming station


34


.




Numerous modifications and alternative embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description. This description is to be construed as illustrative only, and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the best mode of carrying out the invention. The details of the structure and method may be varied substantially without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the exclusive use of all modifications which come within the scope of the appended claims is reserved.



Claims
  • 1. A roll-forming apparatus having a plurality of roll-forming stations adapted to form a first component having a Z-shaped cross section, said first component having a center portion, a pair of legs connected to said center portion, and a pair of flanges connected to said legs, said roll-forming stations being adapted to form a second component having a C-shaped cross section, said second component having a center portion, a pair of legs connected to said center portion of said second component, and a pair of flanges connected to said legs of said second component, said roll-forming apparatus comprising:a first roll-forming station adapted to facilitate the formation of either a C-shaped or Z-shaped component from a sheet of material, said first roll-forming station making a pair of bends in said sheet of material at a first pair of laterally spaced locations on said sheet of material, said first roll-forming station comprising: a first pair of forming rolls that make contact with said sheet of material; a first telescoping arbor assembly that supports said first pair of forming rolls, said first telescoping arbor assembly having a variable length to allow the lateral distance between said first pair of forming rolls to be adjusted; a second pair of forming rolls that make contact with said sheet of material; and a second telescoping arbor assembly that supports said second pair of forming rolls, said second telescoping arbor assembly having a variable length to allow the lateral distance between said second pair of forming rolls to be adjusted; a second roll-forming station adapted to facilitate the formation of either a C-shaped or Z-shaped component from a sheet of material, said second roll-forming station making a pair of bends in said sheet of material at a second pair of laterally spaced locations on said sheet of material after said pair of bends are made in said sheet of material by said first roll-forming station, said second roll-forming station comprising: a first pair of forming rolls that make contact with said sheet of material; a first telescoping arbor assembly that supports said first pair of forming rolls of said second roll-forming station, said first telescoping arbor assembly of said second roll-forming station having a variable length to allow the lateral distance between said first pair of forming rolls of said second roll-forming station to be adjusted; a second pair of forming rolls that make contact with said sheet of material; and a second telescoping arbor assembly that supports said second pair of forming rolls of said second roll-forming station, said second telescoping arbor assembly of said second roll-forming station having a variable length to allow the lateral distance between said second pair of forming rolls of said second roll-forming station to be adjusted; a two-surface forming roll having a first forming surface and a second forming surface, said two-surface forming roll being positioned so that said first forming surface makes contact with said sheet of material when said sheet of material is being formed into a Z-shaped component and so that said second forming surface makes contact with said sheet of material when said sheet of material is being formed into a C-shaped component; and a forming roll support that supports said two-surface forming roll in a fixed position so that said two-surface forming roll may make contact with a sheet of material being formed into a C-shaped component when said two-surface forming roll is in said fixed position and so that said two-surface forming roll may make contact with a sheet of material being formed into a Z-shaped component when said two-surface forming roll is in said fixed position.
  • 2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said position of said two-surface forming roll may be adjusted to accommodate sheets of material having different thicknesses.
  • 3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 additionally comprising:a movable forming roll having a forming surface; and a support that is adapted to support said movable forming roll in a first position in which said forming surface of said movable forming roll makes contact with a sheet of material that is being made into a Z-shaped component and in a second position in which said forming surface of said movable forming roll makes contact with a sheet of material that is being made into a C-shaped component.
  • 4. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said bends made by said first roll-forming station and said bends made by said second roll-forming station are made at the same laterally spaced pair of locations on a sheet of material.
  • 5. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said first roll-forming station is adapted to facilitate the formation of said flanges of a component and wherein said second roll-forming station is adapted to facilitate the formation of said legs of a component.
  • 6. A roll-forming apparatus having a plurality of roll-forming stations adapted to form a first component having a Z-shaped cross section, said first component having a center portion, a pair of legs connected to said center portion, and a pair of flanges connected to said legs, said roll-forming stations being adapted to form a second component having a C-shaped cross section, said second component having a center portion, a pair of legs connected to said center portion of said second component, and a pair of flanges connected to said legs of said second component, said roll-forming apparatus comprising:a first roll-forming station adapted to facilitate the formation of either a C-shaped component or a Z-shaped component from a sheet of material, said first roll-forming station making a pair of bends in said sheet of material at a first pair of laterally spaced locations on said sheet of material, said first pair of laterally spaced locations being laterally spaced apart by a first distance, said first roll-forming station comprising: a first pair of forming rolls that make contact with said sheet of material; a first telescoping arbor assembly that supports said first pair of forming rolls, said first telescoping arbor assembly having a variable length to allow the lateral distance between said first pair of forming rolls to be adjusted; a second pair of forming rolls that make contact with said sheet of material; and a second telescoping arbor assembly that supports said second pair of forming distance between said second pair of forming rolls to be adjusted; a second roll-forming station adapted to facilitate the formation of either a C-shaped component or a Z-shaped component from a sheet of material, said second roll-forming station making a pair of bends in said sheet of material at a second pair of laterally spaced locations on said sheet of material after said pair of bends are made in said sheet of material by said first roll-forming station, said second pair of laterally spaced locations being laterally spaced apart by a second distance, said second distance being smaller than said first distance, said second roll-forming station comprising: a first pair of forming rolls that make contact with said sheet of material; a first telescoping arbor assembly that supports said first pair of forming rolls of said second roll-forming station, said first telescoping arbor assembly of said second roll-forming station having a variable length to allow the lateral distance between said first pair of forming rolls of said second roll-forming station to be adjusted; a second pair of forming rolls that make contact with said sheet of material; and a second telescoping arbor assembly that supports said second pair of forming rolls of said second roll-forming station, said second telescoping arbor assembly of said second roll-forming station having a variable length to allow the lateral distance between said second pair of forming rolls of said second roll-forming station to be adjusted; a two-surface forming roll having a first forming surface and a second forming surface, said two-surface forming roll being positioned so that said first forming surface makes contact with a sheet of material being formed into a Z-shaped component and so that said second forming surface makes contact with a sheet of material being formed into a C-shaped component; and a forming roll support that supports said two-surface forming roll in a fixed position so that said two-surface forming roll may make contact with a sheet of material being formed into a C-shaped component when said two-surface forming roll is in said fixed position and so that said two-surface forming roll may make contact with a sheet of material being formed into a Z-shaped component when said two-surface forming roll is in said fixed position.
  • 7. A roll-forming apparatus having a plurality of roll-forming stations adapted to form a first component having a Z-shaped cross section, said first component having a center portion and a pair of legs connected to said center portion, said roll-forming stations being adapted to form a second component having a C-shaped cross section, said second component having a center portion and a pair of legs connected to said center portion of said second component, said roll-forming apparatus comprising:a first roll-forming station adapted to facilitate the formation of either a C-shaped component or a Z-shaped component from a sheet of material, said first roll-forming station making a bend in said sheet of material and comprising a plurality of forming rolls; a second roll-forming station adapted to facilitate the formation of either a C-shaped component or a Z-shaped component from a sheet of material, said second roll-forming station making a bend in said sheet of material and comprising a plurality of forming rolls; a two-surface forming roll having a first forming surface and a second forming surface, said two-surface forming roll being positioned so that said first forming surface makes contact with said sheet of material when said sheet of material is being formed into a Z-shaped component and so that said second forming surface makes contact with said sheet of material when said sheet of material is being formed into a C-shaped component; and a forming roll support that supports said two-surface forming roll in a fixed position, for a sheet of material having a given thickness, so that said two-surface forming roll may make contact with a sheet of material having said given thickness and being formed into a C-shaped component when said two-surface forming roll is in said fixed position and so that said two-surface forming roll may make contact with a sheet of material having said given thickness and being formed into a Z-shaped component when said two-surface forming roll is in said fixed position.
  • 8. An apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein said position of said two-surface forming roll may be adjusted to accommodate sheets of material having different thicknesses.
  • 9. An apparatus as defined in claim 7 additionally comprising:a movable forming roll having a forming surface; and a support that is adapted to support said movable forming roll in a first position in which said forming surface of said movable forming roll makes contact with a sheet of material being made into a Z-shaped component and in a second position in which said forming surface of said movable forming roll makes contact with a sheet of material being made into a C-shaped component.
  • 10. An apparatus as defined in claim 9 wherein one of said roll-forming stations comprises a pair of laterally spaced support plates and wherein said support that supports said movable forming roll is coupled to one of said support plates.
  • 11. A roll-forming apparatus having a given number of roll-forming stations adapted to form a first component having a Z-shaped cross section, said first component having a center portion and a pair of legs connected to said center portion, said roll-forming stations being adapted to form a second component having a C-shaped cross section, said second component having a center portion and a pair of legs connected to said center portion of said second component, said roll-forming apparatus comprising:a first roll-forming station which is adapted to facilitate the formation of either a C-shaped component or a Z-shaped component from a sheet of material, said first roll-forming station comprising a movable forming roll having a forming surface, said movable forming roll being movable between a first position in which said forming surface of said movable forming roll makes contact with a sheet of material being made into a Z-shaped component and a second position in which said forming surface of said movable forming roll makes contact with a sheet of material being made into a C-shaped component; and a plurality of second roll-forming stations which are adapted to facilitate the formation of either a C-shaped component or a Z-shaped component from a sheet of material, each of said second roll-forming stations comprising a plurality of fixed forming rolls that are disposed in fixed positions, for a sheet of material having a given thickness, so that said fixed forming rolls may make contact with a sheet of material having said given thickness and being formed into a C-shaped component when said fixed forming rolls are in said fixed positions and so that said fixed forming rolls may make contact with a sheet of material having said given thickness and being formed into a Z-shaped component when said fixed forming rolls are in said fixed positions, said second roll-forming stations not having any movable forming rolls that must be moved in order to make contact with a sheet of material having said given thickness and being formed into a C-shaped component and to make contact with a sheet of material being formed into a Z-shaped component.
  • 12. An apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said roll-forming apparatus has a plurality of said first roll-forming stations, wherein said roll-forming apparatus has a total number of said plurality of first roll-forming stations, and wherein said total number of said first roll-forming stations does not exceed one-half of said given number of roll-forming stations in said roll-forming apparatus.
  • 13. An apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said roll-forming apparatus has at least three of said second roll-forming stations.
  • 14. An apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said roll-forming apparatus has at least four of said second roll-forming stations.
  • 15. An apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said roll-forming apparatus has at least six of said second roll-forming stations.
  • 16. An apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein at least one of said second roll-forming stations additionally comprises a forming roll support that supports said forming roll of said one second roll-forming station in a fixed position so that said forming roll of said one second roll-forming station may make contact with a sheet of material being formed into a C-shaped component when said forming roll of said one second roll-forming station is in said fixed position and so that said forming roll of said one second roll-forming station may make contact with a sheet of material being formed into a Z-shaped component when said forming roll of said one second roll-forming station is in said fixed position.
  • 17. An apparatus as defined in claim 16 wherein said forming roll of said one second roll-forming station comprises a forming roll having two forming surfaces.
  • 18. An apparatus as defined in claim 17 wherein said position of said two-surface forming roll may be adjusted to accommodate sheets of material having different thicknesses.
  • 19. An apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said first roll-forming station additionally comprises a support that is adapted to support said movable forming roll in a first position in which a forming surface of said movable forming roll makes contact with said sheet of material that is being made into a Z-shaped component and in a second position in which said forming surface of said movable forming roll makes contact with said sheet of material that is being made into C-shaped component.
  • 20. An apparatus as defined in claim 19 wherein one of said roll-forming stations comprises a pair of laterally spaced support plates and wherein said support that supports said movable forming roll is coupled to one of said support plates.
  • 21. A roll-forming station for facilitating the formation of either a Z-shaped component or a C-shaped component from a sheet of material, said roll-forming station making a pair of bends in said sheet of material at a first pair of laterally spaced locations on said sheet of material, said roll-forming station comprising:a first pair of forming rolls that make contact with said sheet of material; a first telescoping arbor assembly that supports said first pair of forming rolls, said first telescoping arbor assembly having a variable length to allow the lateral distance between said first pair of forming rolls to be adjusted; a second pair of forming rolls that make contact with said sheet of material; a second telescoping arbor assembly that supports said second pair of forming rolls, said second telescoping arbor assembly having a variable length to allow the lateral distance between said second pair of forming rolls to be adjusted; a first support plate that rotatably supports a first end of each of said arbor assemblies; a second support plate laterally spaced from said first support plate that rotatably supports a second end of each of said arbor assemblies; a two-surface forming roll having a first forming surface and a second forming surface, said two-surface forming roll being positioned so that said first forming surface makes contact with a sheet of material being formed into a Z-shaped component and so that said second forming surface makes contact with a sheet of material being formed into a C-shaped component; and a forming roll support that supports said two-surface forming roll in a fixed position, for a sheet of material having a given thickness, so that said two-surface forming roll may make contact with a sheet of material having said given thickness and being formed into C-shaped component when said two-surface forming roll is in said fixed position and so that said two-surface forming roll may make contact with a sheet of material having said given thickness and being formed into Z-shaped component when said two-surface forming roll is in said fixed position.
  • 22. A roll-forming station as defined in claim 21 wherein said position of said two-surface forming roll may be adjusted to accommodate sheets of material having different thicknesses.
  • 23. A method of forming components comprising the steps of:(a) feeding a first sheet of material into a roll-forming machine having a plurality of fixed roll-forming stations and a plurality of reconfigurable roll-forming stations so that said first sheet of material passes through each of said fixed and reconfigurable roll-forming stations so that said first sheet of material is formed into a C-shaped component, said reconfigurable roll-forming stations having a first configuration designed to produce C-shaped components and a second configuration designed to produce Z-shaped components and said fixed roll-forming stations having a single configuration designed to produce both C-shaped components and Z-shaped components; (b) after said first sheet of material is formed into a C-shaped component, changing the configuration of each said reconfigurable roll-forming stations from said first configuration to said second configuration without changing said single configuration of said fixed roll-forming stations; and (c) feeding a second sheet of material into said roll-forming machine so that said second sheet of material passes through each of said fixed and reconfigurable roll-forming stations so that said second sheet of material is formed into a Z-shaped component.
  • 24. A method of forming components comprising the steps of:(a) feeding a first sheet of material into a roll-forming machine having a plurality of fixed roll-forming stations and a plurality of reconfigurable roll-forming stations so that said first sheet of material passes through each of said fixed and reconfigurable roll-forming stations so that said first sheet of material is formed into a Z-shaped component, said reconfigurable roll-forming stations having a first configuration designed to produce C-shaped components and a second configuration designed to produce Z-shaped components and said fixed roll-forming stations having a single configuration designed to produce both C-shaped components and Z-shaped components; (b) after said first sheet of material is formed into a Z-shaped component, changing the configuration of each said reconfigurable roll-forming stations from said second configuration to said first configuration without changing said single configuration of said fixed roll-forming stations; and (c) feeding a second sheet of material into said roll-forming machine so that said second sheet of material passes through each of said fixed and reconfigurable roll-forming stations so that said second sheet of material is formed into a C-shaped component.
  • 25. A roll-forming apparatus, comprising:a plurality of roll-forming stations which are adapted to facilitate the formation of C-shaped components from sheets of material, said roll-forming stations also being adapted to facilitate the formation of Z-shaped components from sheets of material; and a component straightener that is adapted to straighten both C-shaped components and Z-shaped components, said component straightener comprising: a frame; a first straightener fixture associated with said frame, said first straightener fixture having at least two forming rolls and being adapted to straighten a C-shaped component; a second straightener fixture associated with said frame, said second straightener fixture having at least two forming rolls and being adapted to straighten a Z-shaped component; and an actuator that causes said first straightener fixture to be aligned to receive C-shaped components from said roll-forming stations when said roll-forming stations are forming said C-shaped components, said actuator causing said second straightener fixture to be aligned to receive Z-shaped components from said roll-forming stations when said roll-forming stations are forming said Z-shaped components.
  • 26. An apparatus as defined in claim 25 wherein said frame comprises a stationary frame portion and a movable frame portion supported by said stationary frame portion, wherein said first straightener fixture is supported by said movable frame portion, and wherein said second straightener fixture is supported by said movable frame portion.
  • 27. An apparatus as defined in claim 25 wherein said actuator comprises a motor and a linear position mechanism coupled to said motor.
  • 28. An apparatus as defined in claim 25 wherein one of said components being formed by said roll-forming stations exits one of said roll-forming stations at an exit elevation and wherein said actuator causes one of said straightener fixtures to be vertically moved to said exit elevation so that said one component enters said one straightener fixture at said elevation.
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