TPT November 2010

C utting , S awing and P rofiling T echnology

Before it is made – through bending, end forming, chamfering, drilling, punching,

milling – into a product, a tube is known as a blank. And a blank it will remain if it is not cut with caliper precision: clean, straight, to length. If this process is not right, it will matter very little what else is. No amount of subsequent effort will rescue a profile that has been compromised from the first pass of a blade. Tube makers know the critical importance of accurate cutting. Saw cutting. Lathe cutting. Rotary cutting. Dual-blade shear cutting. Supported shear cutting. Every one of these is virtually a technology in itself. An informed awareness of the distinct benefits and challenges of each technique is second nature to the providers of the products and services reviewed in this section of Tube & Pipe Technology .

Photo: Asmag, Austria