TPT July 2013

Bending, end forming and swaging

More stable pipelines for oil, gas and water

shape with no problem by means of the freeform process. “We have recently delivered an all- electric tube bending machine with this new technology to Mexico, to one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers,” Mr Korte said. The machine, which has been expanded to be fully automatic – including loading unit for machine feed, measuring system and handling robot for onward transport of the bent parts – ensures fully automated and therefore very fast and economic bending processes. Schwarze-Robitec GmbH – Germany Email: sales@schwarze-robitec.com Website: www.schwarze-robitec.com and a wall thickness of 20 to 40mm. Maurer Magnetic’s experts also use their patented Maurer Degaussing Technology for the process. The large pipes are completely demagnetised by an alternating magnetic field, which can reach a field strength of up to 80kA/m in the high-performance coils. Schuler supplies machines, produc- tion lines, dies, process know-how and services for the entire metalworking industry. Customers include car manu- facturers and their suppliers, as well as companies in the forging, household equipment, packaging, energy and electrical industries. The company also supplies systems solutions for the aerospace and railway industries. Since the year 2000, Maurer Magnetic has entered new markets with its newly developed and patented technologies in the field of magnetising and demagnetising applications. Schuler AG – Germany Fax: +49 7161 66 907 Website: www.schulergroup.com Maurer Magnetic – Switzerland Email: info@maurermagnetic.ch Website: www.maurermagnetic.ch

improved the freeform bending concept for its all-electric tube bending machines. The manufacture of large bending radii of size 6xD is more precise with this technology. “At the same time, the production process is accelerated by up to five times, or even ten times in individual cases,” said JürgenKorte, plant manager of Schwarze-Robitec. “This is because the revised concept allows very high bending speeds and the setup times previously required are appreciably reduced due to the increased precision.” In the freeform process, the bending radii are created not with fixed tools, but by means of independently mounted rollers. The desired bending radius is defined by the feed angle of a reshaping roller. Very large radii and complex radius paths can be created with bending radii of varying sizes. The technology is used in all of the all-electric bending machines in the CNC 40 E TB MR to CNC 160 E TB MR series. Using robust bending heads, even high-strength materials can be manipulated into the desired hundreds of kilometres of inhospitable territory with extreme temperatures,” explained managing director Jochen Früh. At the same time, the pressure inside the pipes is constantly being raised in order to extend the distances of the transported materials – such as oil, gas or drinking water – and to bridge the growing distances between individual extraction areas. In the process developed by Maurer Magnetic and Schuler, the welded pipes are pushed through an electromagnetic coil and demagnetised. “There is no delay at all in production,” said Marek Rohner, head of technology at Maurer Magnetic. “We have therefore patented the process.” Tests at Schuler’s site in Weingarten, Germany, have shown that the method is suitable for spirally welded pipes with a wall thickness of up to 30mm and a diameter of 1,422 to 3,500mm. Pipes with longitudinal welds can have diameters of around 2,500mm

developed its freeform bending concept for all-electric tube bending machines. The technology allows the precise creation of large bending radii and variable radius paths on tubes and profiles. A high level of repeat accuracy is achieved, even with new, higher- strength materials. At the same time, the system supports the combination of freeform and mandrel bending in one clamping operation and is therefore particularly suitable for users from the automotive and agricultural machinery industries, as well as for stair lift and furniture manufacturers. The requirements for freeform bent tubes and profiles are growing: increasingly complex bending paths and the reshaping of higher-strength materials demand improved bending machines and software concepts. The current renaissance in hydroforming is also reinforcing this trend. In order to equip the tube and profile processing industries for these and future market requirements, Schwarze-Robitec has LARGE pipes, such as those used to construct pipelines, are either welded together as spirals or with a longitudinal seam. In cooperation with Swiss company Maurer Magnetic, the plant and machinery manufacturer Schuler has now developed a process that can demagnetise large pipes during their production. This improves the quality of the welds, which in turn enables pipelines to withstand greater pressures. Magnetisation results from the bending, machining and rolling of steel sheets, and also from the submerged welding of the spiral or longitudinal seam. When pipe ends are welded together on- site, the arc can be deflected if there is too much residual magnetism, reducing the load-bearing capacity of the weld. This is not the case with demagnetised pipes. Recent research results also indicate an increased incidence of corrosion on magnetised pipes. “Pipelines are exposed to extreme loads, as they often have to span

Bending large radii accurately SCHWARZE-Robitec has further

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J uly 2013