May 2013 Tube Products International
29
products & developments
Optimisation of strip thickness
Welser Profile, a specialist in cold
roll-formed steel, uses a wide range
of techniques to produce bespoke
solutions, in order to meet customers’
individual
requirements.
The
optimisation of the strip thickness sets
a new benchmark in the creation of
complex designs of open and welded
special sections.
The optimisation of the strip thickness
integrated into the cold roll-forming
process is the solution to enquiries for
optimising load bearing capacity and
improving the functionality of profiles
made from steel and non-ferrous
metals. The strip is optimised according
to the required function of the profile,
inline, in a single production process
by thinning, grooving or thickening of
the strip, in order to achieve the desired
cross sectional shape.
The company says that benefits include
weight saving due to the variation in
wall thickness, optimised to meet the
specification of the component; reduced
carbon footprint over the complete
supply chain; and improvement of
existing and integration of new functions,
due to thinning and thickening of the
material in the cross section, such as
optimisation of the weld seam rating,
and design of the running surface.
Optimisation of mechanical properties
include increased surface hardness,
which in turn improves the longevity of
running surfaces
and telescopic
profiles and tubes.
An increase in
strength makes
the
profiles
more stable and
increases load
bearing capacity.
The optimisation of the strip thickness
integrated into the process allows for
a different design to opposite faces:
grooving or beading on the top face
no longer excludes a flat bottom face.
The exclusive design possibilities of
the patented Welser forming technique
provide maximum protection against
imitation, making it difficult for products
to be copied, and distinguishing them
from the competition.
In order to refine the Welser Profile
patented process and develop it to
production standard, trials and sample
rollings were carried out. Since
then, the company has successfully
designed and produced profiles used
in fixing systems, mountings, concrete
formwork, façades, commercial
vehicles, containers and the automotive
industry.
Welser Profile manufactures bespoke
profiles and tubes made from steel,
stainless steel and non-ferrous metals.
More than 18,500 different profiles have
been produced to date. The company
has a total manufacturing area of
420,000m
2
, including three production
sites with 60 roll forming lines.
Welser Profile Deutschland GmbH
–
Germany
A combination of
forming possibilities
in a single
production process
