Metal Trim
The term "metal trim" refers to any shaped metal strip that is used to enhance structures, products or equipment visually and/or functionally. Metal trim has a wide set of applications, ranging from embellishment on USB memory sticks to adornment of vehicle frames. In addition, trim is seen lining windows, lining doorways and at the tops and bottoms of walls. It can also be found rounding corners to protect workbenches or desks on the factory floor. Metal trim may exhibit a variety of different characteristics, from color, to thickness, to shape. However, as a general rule, if trim is fabricated for an industrial purpose, such as to protect edges, it must be durable enough to withstand repeated knocks without compromise. This ensures that they hold up against damage from hailstones, heavy winds and other types of damaging weather.
Quick links to Metal Trim Information
Metal trim can be made using a few different methods, but by far, the most simple one is roll forming. Roll forming is a popular method for a number of reasons, one of them being the fact that roll formed metal trim is much more flexible than non-roll formed metal trim. In fact, because of its flexibility, it is far less likely to crack or bend from stress than its counterparts. This flexibility leads us to roll formed metal trim’s second advantage, which is its ability to be successfully applied to many operations. This is especially true because roll formed trim is both less expensive and equally as strong and attractive as trim formed using other methods. Finally, roll formed metal strips are delightfully easy to install. The process is user-friendly; trim pieces need not be aligned so carefully, fewer pieces get broken, less material is wasted and installation goes faster.
Roll forming is performed using a machine called a roll former, which features a cutting system and a long series of rollers. Roll formers may also be equipped with machining aids like trimming, punching or cutting tools. Forming is carried out when a stock of metal strip, usually steel or aluminum, is fed into the first set of rollers. So that the rollers can tightly hug the contours of the strip and so that production does not slow down, the stock must be in a shape that is easily accessed and fed into the machine, like a coil. Other common shapes fed into roll formers include sheets, rolls or strips. After the strip has moved through the first set of rollers, they are directed into and through the second set of rollers, which have a slightly different configuration than their predecessor. This goes on, and the strip is gradually shaped, until it reaches the final set of rollers, which mirrors the shape intended for the final product. After the strip passes through here, it emerges onto a conveyor machine as metal trim. From here, the trim is manually removed from the belt and either sent on for packaging or transferred to a cut-off press to be cut.
Before selecting either of the above-mentioned forming methods, manufacturers must choose the type of material they want to use to make the metal trim. Common among their choices are: aluminum, steel and stainless steel. To serve their application, trim products may be painted any number of colors. Because metal trim is so often used to adorn houses and other residential buildings, available colors are often muted or dark. Offerings, for example, include colors like: bronze, brushed aluminum, brushed nickel silver, brown, matte white, off white, chrome, gold, muted gold and rust.
Metal trim is an unassuming product that often gets overlooked. However, it is, in fact, of the utmost importance to the function and face of many applications. It serves as a self-sacrificial barrier, ensuring that machines and surfaces are not damaged by impact; it makes our world more beautiful every day as it quietly provides embellishment to buildings, lining to doors, windows, walls and sculptures. High quality metal trim products are essential to both the functional and aesthetic success of any application with which they are associated. For the best results, contact a reputable manufacturer who will listen to your requests and requirements and incorporate them into a metal trim design that is perfect for your application.