Swarf are the shavings of metal debris produced during machining. These chips or filings can also be produced during woodworking, grinding and other manufacturing processes. Metal, wood, plastic and stone can all produce this debris which is often called “swarf”.

At S-5 Manufacturing, the small chips and shavings created during the cutting, milling or drilling of stainless steel, aluminum and brass parts could be called “swarf”, but we commonly call them “saw chips” or “turnings” and produce tons of them each month. In that case, they are automatically collected at their source by special equipment and recycled regularly. We recycle approximately 40 Cu. Yd. or 14,450 lb. of aluminum chips every month. That amounts to over 7 tons per month of “swarf”. There are additional shavings produced when machining our brass and stainless steel clamps and brackets, but that volume is much lower than the aluminum.

A trapezoidal roof profile has a ribbed trapezoidal-shape pattern across the panel. This means, it is a quadrilateral (or a four-sided shape – see Figure 1) that has just a single pair of parallel sides. Sometimes, trapezoidal roofs are mistakenly referred to as corrugated. This is a misnomer as the corrugated profile has a repeating wavy pattern across its surface.Trapezoidal rib roofs are popular with producers because the shape makes them very material-efficient (a high strength-to weight ratio). This makes for a very cost-effective profile. The shadows of the trapezoidal shapes offer clean lines whether installed vertically, diagonally, or horizontally. They also possess good structural characteristics and can carry design loads well (e.g. for snow and wind uplift). However, it is not considered as premium a profile as standing seam due to its attachment method.

WORD OF THE WEEK: Dormer

PRONUNCIATION: \ ˈdȯr-mər

PART OF SPEECH: NOUN

SENTENCE: // A dormer is a structural projection from the main roof. It is usually gabled and typically has a window. The word dormer refers to the whole projection, not just the window. 

When referring specifically to the window itself, it would be called a “dormer window”. It comes from the Latin word dormitorium, which means “sleeping room”.

But what about everything else that makes up a metal roof? From flashing, ridges, to valleys and eaves. Where are all these on a roof and what is their purpose? Read on as we deconstruct the rest of the metal roof.