A two-wave W-beam guardrail project is a thick-strip forming job, not a roofing job. The line takes 2–4 mm Q235B or Q350 coil, levels it, punches the end and middle holes while the strip is still flat, forms the W2 section through about 16 stands, and cuts the beam to length with a rear shear. Gearbox drive with rear shear is the recommended arrangement. This page covers the two-wave line; three-wave, hoist-change and the supporting unit are addressed in the decision tree below.
For guardrail beam makers and road safety contractors who need a structural beam section, not a cladding panel. The line is sized for plants that buy coil and ship finished beams, and for factories that already run a post mill and want to bring the beam in house.
You buy galvanized or pre-painted coil and sell finished beams by the piece. You need a stable section and repeatable hole positions, and you will judge the line on section accuracy and output per shift.
The project named a standard — JT/T 281, EN 1317 or AASHTO M180 — and you must deliver a two-wave W-beam that meets it. Start from the standard and the profile drawing, then fix the machine.
You already form the posts and buy the beam outside. Bringing the beam onto your own floor means running both thick-strip lines, so levelling, punch position and shear position all need to be planned together.
One delivered example. Final numbers follow your quotation.
| Strip thickness | 2–4 mm, Q235B / Q350, material hardness ≤350 MPa. Confirmed from the line technical proposal. |
|---|---|
| Forming stands | About 16 forming stands. |
| Shaft diameter | About Φ100 mm. |
| Speed | About 15 m/min forming; about 10 m/min with punching and shearing in line. |
| Main motor | About 30 kW. |
| Hydraulic power | About 18.5 kW. |
| Main unit size and mass | About 18.5 × 1.2 × 1.5 m, about 15 t. |
This page covers the complete two-wave W-beam guardrail beam line: decoiling and feed, levelling, flat-strip punching for the end holes and middle holes, about 16 forming stands to the W2 section, a hydraulic rear shear, and discharge. It covers the recommended gearbox drive with rear shear and the chain-drive alternative. It covers the equipment selection logic for a two-wave project, the numbers published for this mill, and the profile and standard information to confirm before quoting.
W-beam / W2 / two-wave
A different section made on a different machine, not a setting on this line.
The same structure described from two angles; both mean the horizontal rail in this page's context.
Feeds finished round tube to make a handrail — a different machine. Not a guardrail line.
Fencing, not highway guardrail. Different thickness, different voltage, different decoiler.
One line that changes between two-wave and three-wave tooling. Quoted separately.
No. They are separate machines. A hoist-change line that runs both exists but is quoted separately.
Because the usable band depends on the material hardness as well as the section. The thickness is fixed against the confirmed profile drawing and the technical proposal, not against a single catalogue figure.
Gearbox drive with rear shear is the recommended arrangement. A chain drive is the alternative and is quoted as such.
Forming runs at about 15 m/min. Once punching and shearing are in line, plan on about 10 m/min.
