Can roll forming machine process aluminum and stainless steel together?

One set of roll forming machine cannot continuously produce aluminum and stainless steel alternately without modification, yet it can process both materials separately after targeted parameter adjustment and partial accessory replacement.

Aluminum features low hardness, good ductility and easy forming, while stainless steel owns high tensile strength, strong rebound and severe abrasion to rollers. Their distinct physical properties lead to different required roller clearance, forming speed and extrusion pressure. Running two materials in one continuous production will cause oversized dimensional error, profile springback and serious roller wear.

When switching from aluminum to stainless steel or vice versa, several adjustments are required. First, fine-tune the clearance of each forming station: narrow roller gap for stainless steel to offset large springback and widen gap for soft aluminum to avoid profile crushing and surface indentation. Second, reduce line running speed for stainless steel to ease metal cold deformation; higher forming speed is available for aluminum to boost output.

Besides parameter tuning, surface maintenance on forming rollers is necessary. Residual aluminum scraps stuck on roller surface will scratch stainless steel surface, and hard stainless steel oxide may leave pits on rollers which damage subsequent aluminum products. Thoroughly clean all rollers, guide plates and punching dies before material change. For long-term mixed production of two metals, customers are advised to equip two sets of dedicated rollers respectively to save frequent debugging time.

In short, mixed simultaneous feeding of aluminum and stainless steel is impossible, but separate batch production is achievable after equipment adjustment and cleaning.

1. GB/T 7714-2015

[1] Wu S. Parameter Adjustment for Roll Forming of Aluminum and Stainless Steel[J]. Nonferrous Metal Processing,2025,36(08):71-78.

2. APA 7th

Wu, S. (2025). Parameter adjustment for roll forming of aluminum and stainless steel. Nonferrous Metal Processing, 36(8),71–78. 

3. MLA 9th

Wu, Song. "Parameter Adjustment for Roll Forming of Aluminum and Stainless Steel." Nonferrous Metal Processing, vol.36, no.8,2025,pp.71-78,