Patent ID: 7445682

Claim:
A method of feeding elongated sheet stock from a stamping station into a roll forming station in a window component production line, comprising: a) moving an elongated sheet of stock material through a stamping station and detecting that a leading stock end of the stock material extends from an outlet of the stamping station; b) automatically transferring the leading end of the stock material from the stamping station to an entrance to the roll forming station; c) feeding the elongated sheet stock leading end into the roll forming station; d) controlling the stamping station and the roll forming station such that the stock material droops between the stamping station and the roll forming station; e) severing the sheet of stock material after stock material for a specified number of components has been fed into the roll former, f) retracting the stock material from the stamping station; g) monitoring a width of an additional elongated sheet stock supplied by a stock supply station; h) automatically adjusting the stamping station to accept sheet stock of the monitored width and adjusting the roll forming station to accept sheet stock of the monitored width: and i) threading the additional elongated sheet of stock material through the stamping station until the leading edge of said stock material extends beyond an outlet of the stamping station.