Patent ID: 8117879

Claim:
A system for curving a building panel, the building panel being made from sheet material, the building panel extending in a longitudinal direction along its length and having a shape in cross section in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the building panel including a curved center portion in cross section, a pair of side portions extending from the curved center portion in cross section, and a pair of connecting portions extending from the side portions in cross section, the curved center portion including a plurality segments comprising multiple outwardly extending segments and multiple inwardly extending segments in cross section, the plurality of segments extending in the longitudinal direction, the system comprising: a first curving assembly and a second curving assembly, the second curving assembly positioned adjacent to the first curving assembly, the first curving assembly including a first frame and multiple first rollers supported by the first frame, the multiple first rollers arranged at first predetermined locations to contact the building panel as the building panel passes along the multiple first rollers in the longitudinal direction, the second curving assembly including a second frame and multiple second rollers supported by the second frame, the multiple second rollers arranged at second predetermined locations to contact the building panel as the building panel passes along the multiple second rollers in the longitudinal direction; a positioning mechanism that permits changing a relative rotational orientation between the first curving assembly and the second curving assembly; a drive system for moving the building panel longitudinally along the multiple first rollers and the multiple second rollers; and a control system for controlling the positioning mechanism so as to control the relative rotational orientation between the first curving assembly and the second curving assembly as the building panel moves longitudinally along the multiple first rollers and the multiple second rollers to thereby form a longitudinal curve in the building panel, the system being configured to form the longitudinal curve in the building panel without imparting transverse corrugations into the building panel, the multiple first rollers and multiple second rollers being arranged so as to cause an increase in a depth of a particular segment of the plurality of segments of the building panel to accommodate the formation of the longitudinal curve in the building panel.