More and more roofing contractors these days are answering “yes” to that question. Manufacturing independence, waste management, shipping considerations and other factors paint a compelling case for contractors looking to buy a roll former and produce their own panels. But it’s not that simple — additional manufacturing costs, employee training, warehousing and a different set of transportation considerations must be weighed before pulling the trigger on this significant purchase.
Mike Milliman of Rain Trade decided it was worth it. Rain Trade has been selling New Tech Machinery’s gutter systems for years and has had such a positive experience with their equipment, the company recently became a new distributor for New Tech’s roll former equipment. “There are so many benefits for companies to purchase their own machine,” Milliman says. “Just not having to depend on anyone else is a big advantage. It saves time as well as money.”
KenMcLauchlan, regional manager with Drexel Metals, agrees, and says it’s about controlling what kinds of projects you want to take on. “You can control your own destiny and have the flexibility of what jobs you can do —and be confident that you are putting out a better product,” he says.
For more than 38 years, Roll Former Corp., of Chalfont, Pa., has designed and developed custom machinery for companies looking for a roll forming application. “We design our custom equipment from scratch and we offer about 25 standard products,” said John Dumke, director of sales and marketing for Roll Former Corp. Dumke says that roll forming has many cost advantages over brake forming and preformed panels, including:
- No expensive shipping and crating of long panels. Coils are delivered right to the shop or jobsite.
- No panel shipping damage and delays are minimal.
- Less labor and waste.
- The ability to work on your own schedule, not the factory’s.
- Form perfect panels to any length.
Additionally, Bruce Pearson, with Zimmerman Metals, has been in the business for 40 years, and he says that you can reduce your cost of doing business by using a portable roll former in many ways. “On-site fabrication eliminates shipping damage, you don’t have to worry about packaging materials, sizing errors and the panels can be custom manufactured. Also, as you make your panels on site, you don’t have to worry that the manufactured panels will get damaged laying around on the jobsite,” he says.
In-House vs. Portable Roll Forming Equipment
Ready to roll your own? Your next decision will be to choose between the two distinct types of roll formers — portable and in-house machines. In-house machines are usually larger units designed and built for high-production rates. Portable roll formers are smaller for simpler transportation and tend to be more flexible in their ability to produce a variety of panel profiles.
For in-house manufacturers, you don’t have to “keep your machine busy to justify its expense, as they are built for increased orders and high-production rates.
However, portable roll formers tend to save on transportations costs — they save on packaging and freight costs while giving the roofer the ability to reduce the time of a project, instead of ordering factory-formed panels. As an added bonus, onsite panel fabrication eliminates the possibility of shipping damage to panels, miscalculated sizing, etc. Also, onsite roll formers can produce panel lengths varying in size required by the specific roof, as they are not regulated by shipping rules.
What It Costs
So you’ve decided to open up the checkbook and buy a roll former. Will it be worth their investment? Cost varies, and your priorities will drive just how large a check you will need to write.
“There’s the entry level and the commercial level. But having the flexibility and the ability to cut the middle man out may be beneficial to your business,” says Drexel’s McLauchlan. “The entry level roll former may start in the low $20,000 range, where the very specific commercial machines might be as high as $150,000. But being able to diversify your jobs will be worth the cost.”
There are a number of companies in the industry that will work with contractors on equipment financing. Another option would be to lease equipment. Leasing payments are much less expensive of the total purchase price of a roll former and it can be a pre-tax expense. Leasing also allows for upgrades and equipment add-ons.
According to Pearson at Zimmerman Metals, they train on maintenance and adjustment of their machines. “We provide training on all of our equipment. You can either do it on-site in our factory, or we will send one of our manufacturers out to you to do the training and it usually only takes one day. We don’t charge for this on any new machines that are purchased,” Pearson said.
Additionally, Dumke at Roll Former Corp., says they offer training as well. “We do this in two ways; you can either come to our plant and work out in the field or if you’d rather, we will send someone out to you. Either way, we will make sure that you know how to operate our custom machine.”
As with any significant purchase, a contractor looking to purchase a roll former should shop around, and consider not only the price but quality reputation, warranties and service. “Quality is the most important factor when choosing a roll former, as the machine will be an integral part of your business,” says Roger Geer at New Tech Machinery.
Additionally, Pearson says to do reference checks. “It’s also important to know how long they have been building their machines; check to see if they offer training, see where they make their equipment. I personally prefer American made, but make sure it is a quality company with a quality product. We offer a two-year warranty on our machines, but we never have any problems. I built my first machine 24 years ago, and the owner today of this machine has only replaced one part in 24 years,” he said.
Always Evolving
Today, portable roll formers tend to be more advanced and use modern technology that can produce quality panels that are competitive with in-factory roll forming machines. Portable roll formers can cut metals more quickly, without any waste. Many roll formers sold today feature computer controllers software that offers users more options and benefits than in the past. Many offer proximity sensors, multiple-length memory storage, batch and length control, and some even recognize coil color for state-of-the-art user-friendly settings.
Another key distinction among different types of roll formers is multi-panel vs. fixed panel machines. Rich Small of Englert Inc., in Perth Amboy, N.J., reports seeing more and more of the former.
“We are seeing more of the multi-panel options being sold, as contractors want to be able to diversify their jobs, and get more of the market share in their business,” Small says. “There are also more customized projects being sought by both residential and commercial projects.” MR
Unique Tapered Project
Tapered metal roofing panels may not be considered unique these days, but portable roll formers can make it easier for contractors to perform more unique jobs. For example, New Tech Machinery’s equipment was ideal in completing a Dallas Job where an unusual copper roof had to be replaced. For this particular project, the existing 16,000-square-foot roof was originally hand built using interlocking 3×3 pieces. Because the roof was shaped like the letter “S,” every single piece had to be tapered. The original copper roof had taken installers eight months to complete.
Metal Master Roofing and Construction used copper-colored steel to replace the copper roof. New Tech’s tapered panel equipment was used to fabricate continuous panels from eave to ridge. Other contractors asked to submit bids on the project were unable to provide the continuous panels manufactured by New Tech’s portable roll former.
“The equipment was easy to use and the crew was ready to start fabbing panels after only a few experimental panels,” says Phil Miller, who worked on the project. “The most difficult part of the roof was calculating the amount of taper each panel would need in order to have every panel the same size from first to last. Because every section of the roof was a different length, the math had to be done differently each time.” For More information on this particular project, please see the February/March 2014 issue of Metal Roofing Magazine.
Panel Lengths of 100 Feet And Longer
When hauling manufactured panels from the factory to the jobsite, there are over-the-road restrictions on trailer lengths that apply to the transport of lengthy panels. Consequently, jobs with panel lengths of 100 feet and up often require that the panels be roll formed right at the jobsite.
That was the case at the Silver Run Elementary School in Moorestown, N.J., where fabricator ADPI of Avenel, N.J., decided to roll form the panels with Englert equipment at roof level, using a crane to hoist a standing seam machine to the edge of the roof where the panels would be installed. ADPI’s team of seasoned fabricators also built what looked like a football crossbar made out of steel and planted it in the ground about 4 feet from the base of the school building. That crossbar played an important role in stabilizing the roll forming machine against the side of the building while ADPI workers ran panels.
Each panel was run out of the machine across the top of the old roof. Fabricators would run each panel about 3 feet onto the roof where a small set of wheeled casters were attached to the front end of the panel. Then using the casters to smooth the movement of the panel, the operator ran scores of panels up to 136 feet in length. When a panel was run, a team of seven workers spread across the width of the roof lifted the panel in unison and walked it to the place where it would ultimately be installed. When that was completed, the machine was moved to another section of the roof, a new crossbar was built and the process was repeated.
The roof was installed in early summer of 2009. The process was particularly practical because the southern part of New Jersey where the school is located had been plagued by days of heavy rain. The installation crew was able to run off enough panel for the installers to cover open framing on exposed areas of the old roof.
Englert Church Project
Another unique project produced with onsite roll formers was that of Erdy McHenry Architecture of Philadelphia, the architectural firm responsible for the design of St. Aloysius Church in Jackson, N.J. Extensive research into the life and ministry of St. Aloysius led to two significant conceptual explorations that give form to the design for this new Roman Catholic Church.
Called, “Repitching the tent,” which describes the delicate soaring roof lines evoking the concept of simple worship, the installers used Englert’s roll forming machinery to complete this project. Four massive piers were anchored at the corners and provided the building’s foundation.
The standing seam roof structure serves as a distinguishable image for the church. The roof also serves to break up the inside space acoustically, while creating an intimate feeling. “The standing seam, hyperbolic parabolic roof structure was a wonderful aspect of this structure and it was important that its implementation be protected during the design phase,” said David McHenry, a partner at Erdy McHenry.
Hyperbolic paraboloids are often referred to as “saddles,” and the photos shown show why. Their official name stems from the fact that their vertical cross sections are parabolas, while the horizontal cross sections are hyperbolas. McHenry felt that metal could be the only material suitable for his complicated vertical cross section design. To McHenry’s knowledge, this may be the world’s first large-scale hyperbolic parabolic roof executed in standing seam.
The architect chose an Englert Series 1300, 17-inch, 24-gauge standing seam panel for the roof material. More than 37,000 square feet of dove gray Galvalume metal cover the roof, cut using roll formers. Despite the impressions of curves in the valleys of the roof, no curved material was used and each panel was meticulously planned and installed, said Brian Swarhout, of Excel Contracting, Inc., of Whiting, N.J., who installed the roof. All of this needed to be done in order to meet the requirements of the hyperbolic parabolic design.
“These were some of the best subcontractors we have ever worked with,” Erdy says. “We had several meetings with them while they were doing shop drawings to figure out ways to accommodate the ‘curves.’ A lot of care went into determining how the bends would be accommodated and the twists absorbed.
“The hyperbolic parabolic type of construction is usually seen in the design of athletic facilities, allowing architects to create a large open space for economy and functionality. In this case, the design was executed for the imagery and aesthetics it projected of the meeting tent rising out of the ground. The four concrete buttresses represent the pegs of the tent anchoring the roof structure while the parabolic plywood sheathing allow the ‘tent’ structure to soar.”
Gutter Machine With Right-Hand Side Options
Englert now offers optional gutter machine controls and shear on the right side of its 5- and 6-inch machines. Historically, gutter machines have had the controls and shear on the left side. Englert is the first machine manufacturer to offer the optional right-hand side controls and shear as well as standard. The idea for the machine was the brainchild of New York sales representative Lance Ninomiya.
Additionally, Englert is also offering an optional safety limit switch on the cam shear on 5- and 6-inch gutter machines. The switch offers additional safety to the operator and prevents the machine from jamming, which was developed by Ninomiya with assistance from machine technician Ed Sutton.
Mustafa Beler, owner of Magic Gutters of Brentwood, N.Y., has good reason to believe the special Englert 555 gutter machine will improve safety and speed up roll forming. Why? He had personally modified his previous 5-inch gutter machine to put the shear on the right-hand side — which, in his opinion, made the job easier and faster.
“There’s no question that having the shear handle and the controls on the opposite side of the machine will make our work more efficient,” said Beler who is right-handed. “Having the switch will prevent any downtime from potential jamming of material.”
Zimmerman Metals Project
This project was done in Brazil using Zimmerman Metals new Structural Roof Panel Machine, showing Medabill rolling panels that are 90 meters long. Photo Courtesy of Zimmerman Metals
Re-Roofing Project
With this project, the original roof and building was built in 1976 in Clinton, Ill.
• The reroofed section was 150×300 or 45,000 square feet.
• The new roof panel was McElroy Metal’s 238T symmetrical standing seam system.
• Panels were 24 inches wide in an acrylic-coated Galvalume substrate
• Panels were manufactured on site utilizing McElroy Metal’s High Roller Jobsite Production Equipment.
• Roll formers enabled contractors to manufacture and install long length panels from eave to ridge while eliminating the need for laps.
• The south side of the building had 100-foot panels.
• The north side of the building had 50-foot panels.
• Took about two weeks for contractors to complete the work.