A Guide to HVAC DUCT Fabrication
Vicon HVAC Machinery
If you fabricate rectangular duct, a reliable HVAC sheet metal machine lineup isn’t a luxury—it’s the backbone of throughput, quality, and safety. In this guide we unpack six HVAC duct fabrication machines used every day in duct shops—cheek bender, coil line, TDX rollformer, Pittsburgh seam closer, duct brake, and Pittsburgh rollformer—and explain how they work together to deliver tight, leak-resistant ductwork.
We’ll spotlight Vicon because of the brand’s reputation for quality, reliability, and longevity.
Why Choose Vicon for your HVAC Duct Fabrication Needs?
Vicon focuses squarely on duct machinery—coil lines, rollformers, seam closers, and software—with an emphasis on uptime and productivity. Industry coverage over the last year highlights Vicon’s push for shop-floor efficiency, which is exactly what fabricators need when labor is tight and schedules are unforgiving.
Coil Line
A coil line automates the high-volume task of straight duct production—uncoiling, straightening, beading, notching, cutting to length, and (on full lines) folding or wrapping—so you can produce repeatable straight duct sections at speed with minimal handling. Recent industry write-ups emphasize fully integrated software workflows that reduce waste and keep parts accurate from nest to bend, while modern lines are engineered for uptime (fast coil changes, robust transfer systems).
What this does for you
- Throughput: The line keeps operators focused on value-add steps, not manual measuring or handling.
- Consistency: SMACNA-aligned settings and automated sequences help standardize gauge, seams, and reinforcements, improving fit-up and leak performance.
Pittsburgh Rollformer
The Pittsburgh rollformer creates the familiar pocket/flange lock that lets straight duct bodies join quickly and squarely. While the profile has been around for decades, it remains a mainstay because it’s strong, fast to produce, and friendly to downstream assembly. Across the industry, the Pittsburgh lock is still called out as the standard right-angle joint for rectangular duct—used on both straight and curved sections.
Why it matters
Speed & strength:The “lock” forms in one pass; assembly is repeatable and secure.
Compatibility: Plays nicely with corner insertion and TDF/TDC flange systems in mixed-process shops.
Custom: Vicon can supply small or large Pittsburgh Rollformers to customers requirements.
Current distributor listings describe Vicon’s multi-station Pittsburgh machines built with heavy-duty bearings, oil-bath drives, and service-friendly slide-out shafts—design decisions aimed at quiet running and long mechanical life (two things operators notice fast). A Vicon V8 will typically rollform at twice the speed of most other machines.
Pittsburgh SEAM CLOSER
After you form the Pittsburgh lock, you need to close the seam. A Pittsburgh seam closer roll-forms the pocket shut in a controlled pass—quieter and more consistent than hammer-closing. Modern closers are designed to handle a range of gauges and lengths and to close from either side, avoiding the flip that wastes time and risks scuffing finished parts.
Benefits
- Productivity: One-pass closing with minimal rework.
- Operator comfort: Dramatically lower noise vs. pneumatic knocker methods. (Noise and finish quality are the reasons electric/roll-formed closing became popular in duct shops.)
Current Vicon specs highlight “Single-V” roll design and 26–16 ga capacity on standard units—practical ranges for commercial duct runs—and stress the time and labor saved by eliminating flips. That’s uptime you feel every shift.
TDX Rollformer
When projects call for four-bolt transverse connections (T-25a/T-25b), a TDX rollformer shapes the flange profile that takes corners and bolts. The value here is precision—profile accuracy equals faster assembly and better sealing—and the ability to maintain speed across gauges without constant fiddling. Recent distributor specs for Vicon’s TDX and TDX-II underscore compliance with SMACNA’s HVAC Duct Fabrication Standards, a key box to tick when submittals matter.
Benefits
Standards-compliant flanges: Confidence at inspection and in service.
Longevity by design:Heavy-duty bearings, stress-proof shafts, and gear-driven stations that keep alignment true over years of daily use.
Cheek bender
Fittings go fast when you can form the male quarter-inch flanges on cheeks accurately and repeatably. A cheek bender is a deceptively simple machine that produces those flanges at set depths (e.g., 1/4″, 7/16″) so throats and cheeks marry cleanly during assembly. The payoffs are accuracy, reduced handwork, and a better finish on visible ducts.
Vicon angle: Vicon’s current cheek bender offerings include foot-pedal control, open-ended design for forming on either side, and wear-plate protection for plasma-cut edges—details that add up to fewer adjustments and a longer service life in real shops.
DUCT BRAKE
How these Machines fit together on the Shop Floor
Coil line uncoils, beads, notches, and cuts blanks—optionally folds/wraps.
Duct brake makes crisp folds on pieces that need it.
Pittsburgh rollformer puts the lock on bodies/cheeks.
Cheek bender forms quarter-edge flanges for fittings.
TDX rollformer adds four-bolt flange profiles where specified.
Pittsburgh seam closer shuts the seam cleanly for a tight, quiet result.
This single-flow approach is exactly what 2024–25 industry notes highlight: integrated machinery plus software, standardised to SMACNA practice, equals higher productivity, fewer leaks, and more predictable delivery.
Reliability and Longevity
You can judge a machine by what fails first—or by how rarely you have to think about it. Features repeatedly called out in current Vicon literature and industry coverage—heavy bearings with inner races, oil-bath gearboxes, stress-proof shafts, and slide-out service access—aren’t flashy, but they’re precisely what extends service intervals, keeps alignment true, and cuts downtime over a 10 to 20 year life.
Choosing the Right HVac duct fabrication Machines
Map your work: If 70%+ is straight duct, prioritize coil line + Pittsburgh rollformer + seam closer. Add TDX if your contractors spec four-bolt on most jobs.
Size for peak, not average: Look at weekly tonnage, not daily averages, to avoid bottlenecks at the seam closer or rollformer.
Protect your operators: Favor seam closers and roll-formed processes that are quieter, cleaner, and more ergonomic—productivity is people.
Think support: The best machine is the one you can keep running. In the last year, Vicon has underscored its combined ecosystem (rectangular + spiral, software + service), which is a strong signal for parts, training, and lifecycle support.
The Bottom Line
For anyone building a modern duct shop, the right HVAC duct fabrication machines are the direct route to consistent quality and dependable margins. As of 2024–25, Vicon stands out for a complete, SMACNA-oriented lineup—coil lines, rollformers (Pittsburgh and TDX), seam closers, cheek benders, and brakes—delivered with the kind of industrial design choices that keep machines on the floor, not in the service bay. The brand’s focus on quality, reliability, and longevity isn’t just marketing—it’s where the market is headed.