TPT January 2013

Coi l ing and

uncoi l ing machinery

Tube coiling: low or high production speeds, small or large diameters

of spools, and coilers that have quick change spools, so no production is lost or slowed. Production speeds can dictate special characteristics such as coil holders that act like tube coil accumulators to allow the tube coil holders to change spools without stopping production. The method of switching tube coil holders is also dependent on production speeds: low speeds can typically be accomplished by hydraulic motion control methods with one or two holders, while high speeds tend to require electric motion control methods with two or three holders. More advanced tube coilers have built in cut-offs so as to index the tube to the next empty spool without any assistance from the operator. The automation takes care of cutting the tube, holding a few coil wraps while the system is switching tube coil holders from a full to an empty unit. Tube coilers are an acceptable alternative to inline the amount of coiled pipe per load but also greatly increases the integrity of the finished pipeline. For example, DN160 pipe can be coiled in 900m lengths allowing for a much quicker installation time by removing up to 73 butt welds per 900m coil, and with less joints the pipeline’s integrity is significantly increased. For larger projects, 4,600m of DN160 can be put on a reel increasing the efficiency of modern ploughing technologies. With new ploughing technologies and the need for longer continuous lengths and larger diameters in coil form, Low Ovality is well positioned to remove the constraints of butt welding backlogs and joint failures during the installation and life time of the pipeline. Reels of this size would require an escort on highways, however, the cost savings made through a much more efficient

AS with any machine that is introduced to a processing line, a tube coiler needs to be properly sized and have the necessary features to meet the needs of the application. Items such as passline, processing speed, diameter size and coiling diameter all play a role in how the tube coiler is arranged and designed. Many tube coilers are designed with a specific market focus, such as automotive brake line, automotive fuel line, welding wire and wire products or energy-based pipe products. Tube coilers are not limited to smaller diameter tubes, such as 12.7mm (0.5"); there are tube coilers that can coil pipe products up to 88.9mm OD x 6.4mm wall thickness (3.5" x 0.25"). Several types of tube coiler are on the market and all have their respective advantages. There are tube coilers that orientate their coils horizontally and vertically, tube coilers that process only one coil at a time with a slow change LOW Ovality technology from Pipe Coil Technology Limited (PCT) allows large diameter HDPE pipe up to DN315 to be coiled as free standing coils or reeled onto drums. This innovative technology has been used in Europe for many years now and is rapidly increasing in popularity worldwide due to the many advantages it offers. There are still many pipe manufacturers that continue to manufacture large diameter HDPE in the traditional 12 or 20m ‘stick’ lengths regardless of its final use. This is not only highly inefficient to store and transport but also drastically decreases the overall integrity of the installed pipeline as butt welded and electro fusion joints are still the most common inherent failure in a pipe designed to last 100 years. Low Ovality Technology not only reduces transport costs by maximising

A low speed tube coiler for small diameter tubing

tube cutting. They must be designed properly so as not to be a bottleneck in processes and a variety of styles and options exist to fulfil the desired production goals.

Formtek, Inc – USA Fax: +1 216 292 2898 Website: www.formtekgroup.com

Redefining the installation of large diameter HDPE pipe

installation process far outweigh the additional transportation costs and with fewer joints, maintenance costs of the pipeline are also considerably reduced. Even with pipe sizes that can already be coiled with standard coiling machinery, Low Ovality can make a big difference to profit margins through its ability to supply longer lengths of coil within existing coil dimensions, increasing the pipe length per truck and so reducing overall transportation costs. Transporting thinner walled pipes in coil format also becomes a possibility with Low Ovality as it is capable of coiling pipes with SDR up to 21 and 26 while maintaining coil and pipe stability. Pipe Coil Technology Limited – UK Email: chris.spratt@pipecoil.co.uk Website: www.pipecoil.co.uk

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J anuary 2013