HVAC Duct Factory Layout

Start from the coil, finish at the truck

The cardinal rule of any sheet-metal factory layout: material should move in one direction from goods-in to goods-out, with zero back-tracking. For an HVAC duct workshop that means coils enter from one side, and finished duct exits the other — loaded directly onto delivery trucks or staging racks.

Zone 1 — Coil storage

Plan for at least 4 weeks of coil inventory at peak production. Coils are heavy (1.5–5 tonnes each) and need an overhead crane or coil cart with sufficient capacity. Keep this zone separate from the forming line — forklift traffic and precision forming heads do not mix.

Zone 2 — Line zone

The SBAL-V line itself needs roughly 30 × 8 meters of clear floor area, with 1.5 m clearance on both long sides for operator access and maintenance. Level floor, 4,500 mm ceiling minimum, and a dedicated electrical sub-panel close to the PLC cabinet.

Zone 3 — Run-out and buffer

Finished duct needs somewhere to land. Run-out tables (6–10 m long) cushion the duct as it comes off the line. Beyond that, allow 20–30 m² of buffer space for short-term staging. Without buffer, the line stops every time a crew is slow to move finished parts.

Zone 4 — Flange and lock stations

If the TDF flange station is not inline, it needs its own 4 × 6 m footprint adjacent to the line. Same for the SBLC lockformer if Pittsburgh seams are specified on the job.

Zone 5 — Fittings and assembly

Elbows, reducers and transitions are fabricated off-line with plasma cutters, SBEM-1250 gorelockers and hand tools. Give this zone its own area — it generates more noise and swarf than the main forming line.

Utilities checklist

• Electrical — 380 V, 3-phase, 50 Hz (or 60 Hz on request); SBAL-V draws ~40 kW installed, ~25 kW running
• Compressed air — 6–8 bar, clean and dry, 500 L tank minimum
• Grounding — proper earth for the PLC and servo drives
• Lighting — 500 lux minimum at the forming head
• Fire — sprinkler or dry-chemical per local code; swarf is combustible

Common layout mistakes

1. Placing the line against a wall with no maintenance access on both sides
2. Undersizing the coil storage zone — when coils run out, the whole factory stops
3. Forgetting the run-out buffer — finished duct piles up and crashes the line
4. No dedicated path for forklifts, so they cross the forming area every hour
5. Utilities (air, power) trenched after the line is installed instead of before

Three reference layouts by daily output

The right footprint scales with target throughput. The three reference layouts below are based on real SBKJ customer workshops in Asia, the Middle East and Australia. Use them as a starting point for your own scoping — actual dimensions depend on column grid, crane capacity and the duct mix you intend to fabricate.

Small workshop — 200 m²/day, single line

Suitable for HVAC contractors moving from purely manual fabrication to a first auto duct line. Total footprint roughly 600 m² covered area. Layout sequence: coil rack at the north end, single SBAL‑III line running east‑west, run‑out table, hand‑finishing station, and a small fittings bay sharing utilities with the main line. One overhead crane covers coil and finished duct movement. Two operators run the line, one tends fittings.

Mid‑sized factory — 600 m²/day, dual platform

Suitable for established sheet‑metal fabricators or HVAC OEMs serving regional projects. Total footprint roughly 1,400 m² covered area. Layout sequence: dedicated coil bay (8 weeks of stock) at one end with overhead crane, SBAL‑V rectangular line and SBTF‑1500 spiral line running parallel, shared run‑out and packing zone, fittings cell at the side. Independent electrical sub‑panels per line. Two operators per line plus a packing crew.

Large factory — 1,200 m²/day, multi‑line cell

Suitable for major HVAC manufacturers, airport and metro contractors and turnkey duct suppliers. Total footprint 2,500 m²+ covered area. Layout sequence: rail‑served coil yard, two SBAL‑V lines plus one RDL‑II for S‑cleat work and one SBTF‑1500 spiral line, dedicated fittings cell with two plasma cutters and two SBEM‑1250 gore‑lockers, internal logistics aisle running the full length of the building, packing and shipping zone with truck dock. Two overhead cranes.

Worked example: a 600 m²/day SBAL‑V workshop

Here is a fully scoped example for a typical mid‑sized fabricator. We use this template when SBKJ engineers reply to enquiries with a layout sketch.

• Building — 1,400 m² covered area, 12 m bay width, 7 m clear ceiling, level concrete floor (6 kN/m² loading)
• Coil bay — 200 m² with 5‑tonne overhead crane, 8 weeks of stock at peak (~30 coils)
• Line zone — SBAL‑V line on a 30 × 8 m footprint, with 1.5 m maintenance clearance both sides; SBTF‑1500 spiral line in a parallel 12 × 4 m footprint
• Run‑out — 6 m run‑out table off SBAL‑V into a 30 m² staging buffer
• Fittings cell — 80 m² with one plasma cutter, one SBEM‑1250 gore‑locker, hand bench and rivet station
• Utilities — 380 V 3‑phase 80 kW main panel, 7.5 kW screw compressor with 500 L receiver and inline dryer, 500 lux LED lighting at every forming head
• Crew — 2 operators on SBAL‑V, 2 operators on SBTF, 2 fittings hands, 1 packing & loading lead
• Daily output target — 600 m² rectangular + 200 m round per single shift

Frequently asked questions

How much floor area does an SBAL‑V really need?

The SBAL‑V machine itself is roughly 28 m long by 4 m wide. SBKJ recommends a 30 × 8 m clear envelope to allow 1.5 m maintenance access on both long sides plus a small operator station at the loading end. A 4.5 m clear ceiling is the minimum for safe coil loading via overhead crane.

Can I install an SBAL line in an existing workshop?

Yes — the majority of SBAL installations worldwide are retrofits into existing sheet‑metal workshops. The key constraints are floor flatness (no more than 5 mm/m), a 4.5 m clear ceiling for coil handling, and access to a 380 V three‑phase supply within 20 m of the PLC cabinet. SBKJ field engineers will visit and survey before commissioning.

How much electricity does an SBAL‑V draw?

SBAL‑V has roughly 40 kW of installed power but only draws about 25 kW during normal forming, depending on material thickness and seam type. Plan for an 80 kW main supply to comfortably cover the SBAL‑V plus a spiral line, a plasma cutter and lighting on the same panel.

What is the right ratio of operators to machines?

SBKJ recommends two operators per SBAL or SBTF line — one at the loading end, one at the run‑out — plus shared support staff for fittings, packing and quality. A 600 m²/day workshop typically runs with 6–7 people per shift across all stations.

How does layout affect long‑term safety?

The single biggest safety driver is keeping forklifts out of the forming area. Plan a dedicated logistics aisle along one wall, mark it with floor lines, and use it for all coil and finished‑duct movement. Combined with proper guarding on the forming heads and an emergency stop network across the line, this is enough to satisfy EN ISO 13849 category 3 expectations on most CE‑marked SBKJ machines.

Ask SBKJ for a 3D layout drawing →