CZ Purlin Roll Forming Machine
C and Z purlins from one machine with servo width adjustment — the C-to-Z change takes under 10 minutes rather than half a shift.
Technical Specifications
| Material | GI, galvanised, pre-painted steel |
| Thickness | 1.5 – 3.0 mm |
| Yield strength | ≤ 550 MPa (hardened rolls for higher) |
| Web height | C: 60 – 350 mm · Z: 60 – 300 mm |
| Flange | 45 – 90 mm, adjustable |
| Lip | 10 – 25 mm, adjustable |
| Forming speed | 8 – 25 m/min |
| Forming stations | 16 – 20 |
| Drive | Servo or gearbox, 15 – 22 kW |
| C → Z change | < 10 min (servo) · 30–45 min (manual) |
| Punching | Web holes 11 / 13 / 14 mm at auto pitch |
| Cutting | Hydraulic flying saw or post-cut |
| Control | PLC + 7″ touch-screen HMI |
| Certification | CE Declaration of Conformity |
| Lead time | 45 – 60 days |
Need a quote or a custom specification?
CZ Purlin Roll Forming Machine in Our Workshop
0:43 CZ Purlin Roll Forming Machine — Full Line Running | ZTRFM
the whole line from the entry end to the runout table, with the forming stations and hydraulic cutting unit visible.
Machine specifications →
0:25 CZ Purlin Machine — Cutting Station Detail | ZTRFM
a close-up of the cutting station at the end of the forming section.
Machine specifications →
1:10 CZ Purlin Machine — Forming Rolls and Stations Up Close | ZTRFM
the forming section up close: the roller sets, the drive side and the hydraulic stations along the line. (Source clip replaced 2026-09-17 — the previous footage carried a third-party watermark.)
Machine specifications →What This Machine Produces
C purlins from 60 to 350 mm web height — the symmetric section normally used as a single-span roof or wall purlin, and for end bays, columns and floor joists.
Z purlins from 60 to 300 mm web height — the point-symmetric section that laps with its neighbour along a run.
Lapped Z runs — because a Z section nests with the next one, a row of single spans becomes a continuous beam. On a long roof this typically halves the bending moment compared with single spans, which is why Z purlins dominate long industrial roofs.
Flange 45–90 mm and lip 10–25 mm, both adjustable, so the section can be matched to the engineer’s span table rather than to a fixed catalogue size.
Punched purlins — 11 mm, 13 mm or 14 mm web holes at an automatically programmed pitch, preset per length run so a whole building set is produced without stopping the line.
Purlins in 1.5–3.0 mm galvanised, pre-painted or plain steel up to 550 MPa yield, formed at 8–25 m/min.
Recommended Configuration
A complete working line, not just the forming machine. Each item below is quoted as one package.
- 01
Hydraulic decoiler
purlin coil at 1.5–3.0 mm is heavy, so coil handling is the first thing to size correctly.
- 02
Strip straightener
a heavy purlin section will carry any coil set straight through the line, and a bowed purlin is scrap on site.
- 03
CZ purlin roll forming machine
16–20 stations on a servo or gearbox drive at 15–22 kW. The servo option is what makes the C-to-Z change take under 10 minutes instead of 30–45 minutes.
- 04
Inline web punch
punches 11, 13 or 14 mm holes at an automatically programmed pitch while the strip is flat, which is the only way to hold hole position on a 3 mm section.
- 05
Hydraulic flying saw or post-cut
purlin is cut after forming; a flying saw keeps the line running rather than stopping for every cut.
- 06
PLC with 7-inch touch-screen HMI
the width, lip and punch pattern for each purlin size are entered here, and on the servo machine they are recalled rather than re-set by hand.
- 07
Runout table sized to your longest purlin
purlins are long and heavy, and a short runout forces manual handling on every cut.
Production Workflow
- 01
Decoiler
Coil is loaded and uncoiled at controlled tension. At 1.5–3.0 mm the coil is stiff, so the decoiler brake setting has a direct effect on whether the finished purlin is straight.
- 02
Straightening
The strip is levelled before forming. Heavy-gauge coil set cannot be corrected by roll adjustment later, so this step decides the straightness of the final member.
- 03
Web punching
11 mm, 13 mm or 14 mm bolt holes are punched at the automatically programmed pitch while the strip is flat. Punching flat is what allows a 3 mm section to be punched accurately; punching a formed section at this thickness distorts it.
- 04
Roll forming
16–20 stations form the C or Z section, with flange at 45–90 mm and lip at 10–25 mm. Line speed is 8–25 m/min, and the actual figure depends mainly on the web height and thickness being run.
- 05
C-to-Z change
On a servo machine the change is entered on the HMI and takes under 10 minutes for full width and lip adjustment. On a manual gearbox machine every station has to be reset by hand, which takes 30–45 minutes.
- 06
Cutting and output
A hydraulic flying saw or post-cut cuts to length, and members leave on the runout table. Lapped Z runs are normally cut as matched sets, so the batch counter is set accordingly.
Key Components
- Forming stations
- 16–20, on a servo or gearbox drive
- Drive
- Servo or gearbox, 15–22 kW
- Web punching
- 11 / 13 / 14 mm holes at automatically programmed pitch
- C-to-Z adjustment
- Under 10 min servo · 30–45 min manual
- Cutting
- Hydraulic flying saw or post-cut
- Control
- PLC + 7-inch touch-screen HMI
- Working ranges
- C web 60–350 mm · Z web 60–300 mm · flange 45–90 mm · lip 10–25 mm
Customization Options
Every line is built to order. These are the points buyers most often change.
| Item | What can be changed |
|---|---|
| Section type | C only, Z only, or both on one machine |
| Web height | C 60–350 mm · Z 60–300 mm; custom tooling up to 400 mm web can be designed |
| Flange and lip | 45–90 mm and 10–25 mm, both adjustable |
| Punch pattern | 11 / 13 / 14 mm holes at your pitch, preset per length run |
| Drive type | Servo for quick width changes, gearbox where the size range is fixed |
| Steel grade and thickness | 1.5–3.0 mm, up to 550 MPa yield; hardened rolls at HRC 60–62 for higher grades |
| Power supply | 380 V / 50 Hz / 3-phase standard; other voltages to your site |
C purlin vs Z purlin — when each is the right choice
| Section | Best loaded as | Typical use | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| C purlin | Single-span or simple beam | Purlins on small buildings, end bays, columns, floor joists | Symmetric flange geometry suits simple supports; easiest to nest and transport |
| Z purlin | Continuous multi-span | Long roof and wall runs with overlapping spans | Lapping Z sections creates a continuous beam, cutting bending moment by roughly half versus single spans |
Applications
FAQ — CZ Purlin Roll Forming Machine
How fast can the machine switch from C to Z?
What is the maximum web height?
Does it punch the web holes automatically?
Can it handle 3.0 mm G550?
What is the difference between C and Z purlin?
Why does purlin thickness matter so much?
What is the typical production output?
Does the machine include straightening and a decoiler?
Can the machine be built for our own profile?
How do we get a price for this line?
Which coil materials can the line run?
How many forming stations does it use?
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Tell us the profile and the numbers that matter to you. We confirm the configuration against the specification table above and quote FOB Tianjin within 24 hours.
- MaterialGI, galvanised, pre-painted steel
- Thickness1.5 – 3.0 mm
- Yield strength≤ 550 MPa (hardened rolls for higher)
- Web heightC: 60 – 350 mm · Z: 60 – 300 mm