Quality control at the FRAMECAD machine
Why “looks fine” is not enough
Section titled “Why “looks fine” is not enough”On a cold-formed section the geometry of the cross-section is not decoration: the flange and lip dimensions are what provide stability. If the lip is a few tenths of a millimetre narrower than designed, the section loses stability sooner — that is, the assumption behind the structural calculation is not met. This defect is invisible to the eye but immediately apparent when measured.
What the manual names
Section titled “What the manual names”The FRAMECAD F-series operating manual lists the following quality checks:
Profile length
Section titled “Profile length”The length of the part. If it drifts, the panel does not come together to size, and the error accumulates in the direction of erection.
Dimple height and offset
Section titled “Dimple height and offset”The indentation marking the screw point. If its height or position differs, the screw does not engage at the designed point and the fit suffers too.
Flange and lip width
Section titled “Flange and lip width”The two most sensitive dimensions of the cross-section. They provide the stability of the section, and they are the first to change if the setting of the roller stations drifts.
Straightness and squareness
Section titled “Straightness and squareness”The section must not twist or bow. A wall built from twisted sections is not plane, and the connections cannot transfer force as designed.
The manual does not publish numerical tolerances — the values in the documentation of the given machine govern.
When to measure
Section titled “When to measure”At the start of a run
Section titled “At the start of a run”Always the first parts after a new profile, new coil or new setting. Profile changeover is a separate procedure in the manual as well.
During the run
Section titled “During the run”By sampling. In cold forming the properties do not jump, they drift slowly — tool wear is gradual.
At project handover
Section titled “At project handover”For the design side this is the feedback loop: if the manufactured member does not match what the engineering assumed, that is a structural question, not an erection one.
The point
Section titled “The point”The capacity of a thin-walled structure depends on the accuracy of the cross-section. In-process measurement is therefore not the manufacturer’s private business: it is the only point at which it can be shown that the installed section is the one the calculation used.
Sources
Section titled “Sources”The F-Series Operating Manual (FRAMECAD Knowledge Hub), retrieved in September 2026.