Roll forming lines
Highway Guardrail Roll Forming Machine
Heavy duty lines for W-beam and thrie-beam guardrail in 2.5–4.0 mm steel, built to the profile drawing and coating requirement of the project specification.
- Sheet thickness 2.5–4.0 mm
- Beam height 310–506 mm
- Forming stations 22–28
- Main motor 30–55 kW
Made to order
Highway Guardrail Roll Forming Machine — quoted per project
Guardrail lines are built to order against the project profile drawing. Tell us the beam type, material grade and coating, and we will quote the tooling and delivery schedule.
Request a QuoteTechnical overview
Guardrail forming is a tonnage problem
A W-beam section is 2.5–4.0 mm steel formed into a deep double wave. The forming force per station is several times a deck line, so the frame, shafts and motor are sized for tonnage rather than speed.
Lines run 22–28 stations on 130–160 mm shafts with a 30–55 kW main motor, at 10–18 m/min. The wave geometry is formed in stages: the centre wave first, then the two outer waves, then the edge return. Forming all three at once would need a press far beyond what a roll former can carry.
Cutting is a hydraulic post-cut with a die shaped to the wave, and the cut end is normally punched for the splice bolt in the same station. Coating decisions — hot dip galvanized after forming, or pre-galvanized coil — change the tooling finish and the handling between stations. Profile dimensions come from the project specification drawing rather than from a standard catalogue section; see highway safety applications for the installation side.
Typical specifications
- Section types
- W-beam, thrie-beam, terminal
- Sheet thickness
- 2.5–4.0 mm
- Forming stations
- 22–28
- Shaft diameter
- 130–160 mm
- Main motor
- 30–55 kW
- Cutting
- Hydraulic post-cut, profiled die
- Line speed
- 10–18 m/min
Figures are typical for this category. Final values follow the profile drawing and material grade.
Discuss your specificationApplications
Where these lines are used
The same machine serves different industries depending on the profile, coating and output. Start from the application closest to your project.
FAQ
Highway Guardrail Roll Forming Machine — questions buyers ask
Answers come from real quotation discussions. If your question is not here, ask it directly and an engineer will answer.
Which guardrail standards can the line produce?
Tooling is machined to the profile on your drawing — W-beam and thrie-beam sections are the common shapes, but the dimensions that matter are the ones your project specification states. Send the section drawing and the coating requirement rather than the standard number, and the tooling is quoted against the drawing.
Is the beam galvanized before or after forming?
Both routes exist. Pre-galvanized coil avoids a second handling step but the cut edge is unprotected; hot dip after forming gives full coverage and is what most road authorities specify. The line is configured for the route you choose.
What is the delivery time for a guardrail line?
Tooling and build run 90–120 days because of the shaft size and the profiled cut die. Installation and commissioning on site takes 15–20 days.
Can the line run at higher speed?
Not usefully. Above 18 m/min the wave geometry starts to spring back unevenly on 4 mm material, and the cut die life drops. Guardrail output is normally set by the galvanizing line downstream, not by the roll former.
Next step
Get a quote for a Highway Guardrail Roll Forming Machine
Send the profile drawing, material thickness and target output. You will get a line configuration, tooling scope and delivery schedule — usually within one working day.
Or compare non-standard builds on the custom roll forming page.