Two-Wave Highway Guardrail Roll Forming Line (W-Beam)

1. Equipment role

A two-wave highway guardrail roll forming line (W-beam machine) produces the corrugated beam used in roadside barrier systems. The FAQ recommended configuration is gearbox drive + rear shear. Chain-drive and front-shear variants exist in the same pack — select by contract technical proposal.

Industry buyers commonly map W-beam to AASHTO M180 / EN 1317-class roadside barriers; certification still follows the project test reports, not this page.

2. Not to confuse with

• Not a three-wave (Thrie-beam) line
• Not a hoist-change two/three-wave line unless that scheme is explicitly quoted
• Not a post, noise barrier, or fence line
• Not a light-gauge handrail secondary-forming host

3. Shop-floor sequence

1. Feeding / leveling
2. Hydraulic punching
3. Roll forming (gearbox drive in reference quote; chain drive variants exist)
4. Hydraulic cut-to-length (rear shear in reference quote)
5. Exit

4. Cited figures (proposal wins)

Thickness: pack documents do not converge on one band (examples about 2.5–3 mm, 2.5–4 mm, 3–4 mm). Confirm per proposal — do not invent a single public thickness.

Conflict note: Other pack documents (e.g. KF85-310 writing about 8–20 m/min, older notes about 8–12 m/min) differ from the gearbox reference above. Label the source tier; do not merge into one invented band.

5. Applications

• Two-wave W-beam roadside barriers for highways and expressways
• Projects that specify W-beam geometry rather than Thrie-beam
• Full barrier plants that may later add posts / terminals as separate lines

6. Project-level auxiliaries

Full barrier projects may add beam bending / arching, terminal end forming, repair, or stacking equipment. U-channel structural lines are a different product family — do not mix into this guardrail quote.

7. Inquiry checklist

• Wave count: dedicated two-wave vs hoist-change dual scheme
• Drive: gearbox vs chain; shear: rear vs front
• Thickness band and yield strength for the target standard
• Punch pattern / hole map from the finished drawing

8. Buyer FAQ

Can this machine also make three-wave?

Not as a casual change. Dedicated three-wave is a separate host. Dual-wave hoist-change schemes are quoted separately with different speed guidance.

Is 15 m/min always achievable?

About 15 m/min is the forming reference; with punch and shear the same document cites about 10 m/min. Other variants may differ.

Which thickness should I publish?

None as a single public standard. List the bands that appear on your source tier and lock one on the proposal.

Is chain drive the same as the gearbox reference?

No. Chain-drive and front-shear variants are separate quotes — do not merge motor or speed tables.