TPi September 2014

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Pipe fitting alignment system

Sumner Manufacturing has introduced a new pipe fitting tool for quickly aligning fit- ups for shorter lengths of pipe. The Pipe Fitting Alignment System Technique, or PFAST (pronounced “fast”), is designed to allow pipe fitters to easily tack fit-ups that include 1" to 8" flanges, fittings, reducers, caps and pup joints. “Until now aligning pipe set- ups has been a very time- consuming and tedious job with no universal tool designed to aid in the process,” said national sales manager Brendan Conway. “With the PFAST, more than two dozen set-ups can be accomplished much more quickly and with much less manpower than using traditional methods. Depending on the fitter and the difficulty of the fit-up it’s possible to fit and tack 75 to 90 joints in an eight-hour shift, all with less rework and scrap.”

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Sumner’s PFAST pipe fitting alignment system

While performing user testing with the PFAST, one user commented, “The time spent manually positioning flanges, fittings, pups, etc, was consuming the largest portion of our labour costs. “We had one set-up that we could only fit-up 185 pieces in four days with a welder and fitter side by side (64 labour hours). It had a flange, reducer, pup and 90° fitting. With PFAST, this same set-up is done in 16-17 hours with only the fitter.” PFAST handles loads of up to 270kg (600lb), as well as up to 300lb pressure-rated flanges. It includes six aligning accessories, and a tool box for storage. Purchase of a PFAST includes a full day of in-house training from a Sumner representative. An electronic tablet can be mounted on the mast to provide step-by-step pictorial reference for set-ups

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