Your Guide to Rollforming & Folding Innovation
A month into the new financial year and volumes are certainly trending up. From Christchurch, to Darwin, Melbourne and across much of New Zealand, the team has been either on the road talking to customers, relocating machines or on the tools providing expert solutions. There is a renewed sense of optimism across the industry, and the order book is reflecting that.
We also had our very first shipping issue last month that will make use of the annual maritime insurance policy we keep. These things happen when your freight is in someone else’s hands. All you can do is sort it out, and that is what we are doing with the support of our supplier.
This edition covers a new slitting line in Christchurch, the Lokdek 700C now running in Darwin, what is in build at the moment, some preowned machines we have available, and a maintenance tip that could save you a rejected order.
Christchurch: From Buying Flat Sheet to Processing Their Own Coil
A long-standing customer of ours in Christchurch has until now run their work off flat sheet. It’s a strategy that many sheetmetal businesses follow, and whilst it can be very effective, it can also take up a lot of room and each handling step between the rack and the folder / punch is another chance to damage the material. It also comes with clear dimensional constraints.
After securing a piece of work requiring part lengths up to 6m, in multiple colours per day – the only answer was to move to coil. To facilitate this, they needed a CTL and have now got a nuSLIT installed. With auto straightening, and 5x pairs of auto positioning knives the line is delivering what it promised.
Processing from coil also changes the financial metrics on a job, as coil is generally cheaper per tonne, and when managed correctly should provide better material optimisation – meaning less waste.
Nice job to be part of, and always great to see an existing customer return to TRF for another piece of their manufacturing puzzle.
Darwin: Steeline Lokdek 700C
The goal on this one from day one was a listing in the Darwin Deemed to Comply manual for our customer. The second challenge was working with them to develop a profile that was suitable for both clip and screw fixing.
A team effort between the customer, the clip supplier and ourselves to eventually supply and install a machine that ticked all the boxes.
The specs on the machine we have commissioned in Darwin:
| Technical Feature | Lokdek 700C |
|---|---|
| Forming Stages | 22 driven, 2 cantilevered, 6 idler |
| Line Speed | 35mpm |
| Shaft Diameter | 75mm / 100mm |
| Roll Material | 4140/4340 Nitride Hardened |
| Guillotine | Post-cut, Hydraulic Shear |
On Order, on the water, and just landed
On order:
TD200 6.4m
nuSLIT procut print
8 x Tower Decoilers
3 x 700mm deck machines
Mini Corrugate / A-Panel dual level rollformer
On the water:
A standalone Purlin decoiler and coil car
Just landed:
A nuSLIT line now running in Christchurch
A Lokdek 700C commissioned in Darwin
A custom punch press, which had a rougher trip than most. More on that below.
If you’re looking to deliver new equipment next year, let’s chat.
Sometimes Things Go Wrong
Anyone who has been in this trade long enough knows that machines get shipped a long way by people you will never meet. Majority of the time it is uneventful. Last month it was not.
A custom punch press we sourced for a customer was stopped for unpack by Australian Quarantine. The faceless 3rd party transporter who was assigned this task, didn’t note the correct lifting instructions during unpack – and the rest can be seen above. Not the call you want to receive at 3:45pm on a Friday afternoon, nor the one I wanted to make to the customer a few minutes later.
The following week we had the machine delivered to site, and a comprehensive inspection was made. Spare parts have been ordered and will be airfreighted soon to get the line up and running as was intended.
Every shipment we send is covered under a global insurance policy from the time it leaves a supplier’s floor until it is through the customer’s door. Whilst that doesn’t cover the inconvenience and disruption – it does mean we can get repairs moving as soon as possible.
Freight gets handled by people we do not employ, on trucks and ships we do not own. This is the first significant issue I have encountered in 18yrs of shipping machines around the world.
What you need to ask your suppliers is not whether it can happen, but what happens if you’re unlucky enough that it does.
Preowned Machines Available Now
Looking to expand capacity without the lead time and cost of new equipment? We’ve sourced quality second-hand folders that are currently still in operation, but now surplus to requirements and ready for a new owner.
What’s Available:
✓ SWI Simplex (2012), CTL and Uncoiler – Single folder, full flashing solution
✓ Ceiling Batten machine (2021), DC+ with drag uncoiler
✓ Roof Batten RF (Early 2000’s), angle cut shear with uncoiler
Why buy through us?
1. Technical inspection by qualified service technicians
2. Full transparency on machine condition and history
3. Ongoing parts (Thalmann) and service support available
4. Fast delivery compared to new equipment lead times
* All equipment may be subject to location embargoes (owners won’t sell to the guy down the road)
Planning your 2027 equipment strategy? We are here to help you make informed decisions around capacity, capability, and efficiency.
Email directly: solutions@totalrollforming.com
Maintenance Tip: Marking on Coated Sheet
Watch for: Recurring scuffs or marks on your rollformed product.
Prognosis: If the mark repeats at a regular interval down the sheet, then it’s coming from the same point over and over again. Use a bright light to try and track the origin which is likely a build up on the roll surface, or perhaps piece of coil label (I’ve seen this often). Worst case it might be actual roll damage which will need repair / replacement.
Solution: Find the offending tooling, remove any debris. If need be give the roll a gentle polish and then drive the sheet forward to see whether the issue has been resolved.
