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How It's Made
Panels
Panels are made here by roll-from machines. Roll-forming is a continuous bending operation in which a long strip of sheet metal (from a coil of pre-painted steel) is passed through sets of rolls, each performing incremental parts of the bend, until the desired cross-section profile is obtained.
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Here at Long Creek Steel, our roll-former machines can create over 10 different panel profiles that cater to agricultural, commercial, and residential post-frame buildings.
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Our Superior Lock is a type of standing seam roofing system commonly used in residential roofing applications. It is designed to provide a seamless and watertight finish with a concealed fastening system. The panel’s interlocking design, which allows them to snap together without visible fasteners, creating a sleek and modern appearance. The process begins on our Superior Lock roll-former that is a continuous process to shape the metal into the Superior Lock profile. The profile includes a raised seam and an interlocking edge that allows the panels to snap together in the installation.
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Here at LCS, we also specialize in metal board and batten siding. Board and batten siding combines the traditional aesthetic of wood design with the durability of modern appeal of steel. In the roll-forming machine, steel sheets are fed into the rollers that shape the steel. The wide panels (boards) are formed with raised seams or ribs that mimic the look of traditional wood boards. The battens are formed as narrow strips that will cover the seams between the boards.
Trim
To make our stock, residential, and custom trims, we use trim roll-formers, computerized brakes, and slit line machines to make almost any kind of trim imaginable!
Just like the panel roll-former, the trim roll former is a specialized type of roll-forming machine that is used to produce the specific and desired trim profile. The machine is designed to shape long strips of metal into these profiles through a continuous, incremental bending process.
The computerized brake can be used to bend and shape sheet metal with high precision. The “brake” in this context refers to the machine’s capability to “brake” or bend metal into specific angles and shapes. We use this mainly for our custom trims to be exact and efficient with your desired measurements.
A slit line machine is used to cut large coils of sheet metal into narrow strips, a process known as slitting. These narrow strips, called “slit coils” are then used to be put through the different trim machines we have or rolled up for you to have your own flat stock on hand.
Panel Roll Forming Process
Uncoiler
Pre-painted coils come to our facility and are placed in our warehouse until it is ready to use in a project! To use the coil in our roll forming machine, we load it up onto the uncoiler. This is where we can feed through the sheet of metal right into the machine.
​Measure, Cutoff, & Prep
Before the metal from the coil is fed into the rollers, the computer reads the specific quantity and lengths desired. This is also part of the step where DripStop or protective film is combined with the metal sheet. Once cut to the desired length, it is now on to the rollers!
Roll Forming
At the roll forming stage, the metal sheet is progressively shaped by roller die stands paired together. The machine drives the metal sheet through the roller gradually to shape it to the correct dimensions for the profile. Here at Long Creek Steel, we have 22 profiles you can choose from!
Runout Table & Packaging
Once the metal panel passes through the rollers, it's placed on the conveyor for us to retrieve, wrap, label, and store in the facility. Afterward, the bundle is either delivered or picked up by the customer.
