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N
ovember
2011
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S
oftware
Production optimisation and life cycle
management for pipeline construction
PIPELINE construction is labour and cost
intensive, but there are definitely possibilities
for rationalisation. These are not only due
to the installation of economical production
machines, they are also a result of the optimal
organisation of the value-added processes
by the well aimed application of intelligent
software systems. Both disciplines must
be seen together, however, if the greatest
possible benefit is to be achieved. With pipe
bending and pipe processing machines and
system and software solutions, custom-made
to meet the special demands in pipeline
construction (eg in the ship building and
offshore industry or plant engineering),
Tracto-Technik (TT) always has the right
solution for these optimisation processes.
With the modular-designed PIPEFAB
production management software pack,
TT provides a branch solution for pipeline
construction with far-reaching CIM
functionality, which integrates all areas of
the life cycle of pipelines digitally – from
engineering to material management and
production to assembly. The basic idea
behind the PIPEFAB development was to
reproduce demands from the practice in
efficient systems and link them to universal
solutions.
The establishment of a P&ID (piping and
instrumentation diagram), pipeline plans and
isometric pipeline drawings is part of the
single construction and planning steps. These
isometric drawings can easily be uploaded in
PIPEFAB from the different 3D-CAD systems
used for constructing pipeline systems via
interfaces. Additionally, it is also possible
to generate isometric pipe drawings from
the measured data of different kinds of 3D
pipe measuring systems (eg measurement
of defective pipes which are going to be
replaced) or to generate them directly with
the help of an isometric drawing module
integrated in PIPEFAB. The isometric pipe
drawings are stored in a central database;
they represent the basic data for production.
Among others, the software draws up work
plans and spools, takes over the calculation
of production times and costs, performs
storage management (including the functions
of material requirement
planning); it issues bending,
sawing or flame cutting lists
and provides CNC data for
the available processing
machines in production.
The optimisation process
already starts with the pipe
prototype held ready at the
pipe inventory. The storage
management
module
for the control of the pipe
inventory, conveying system
and sawing unit integrated
in PIPEFAB, also includes a
blank optimisation function
which can minimise the
sawing waste and so optimise
material consumption by
calculating the delivery
lengths and remaining pieces.
An additional preview function
for material requirements
shows up possible shortage in
quantity and allows acquiring
the necessary pipe material
in good time. By combining
singleproductionunitsfromthe
central PIPEFAB database,
production orders (production
lots) are generated. All data
relevant for the production of an order are
available at the single work places in due
time. The work place sequence defined for
each production unit is shown in integrated
routes. Additionally, the determined work
times and hourly wage rates are given for
every single work place to enable the direct
calculation of the factory costs within the
production process.
Tracto-Technik GmbH & Co KG
–
Germany
Website: pipebending.tracto-technik.com
PIPEFAB supports the entire lifecycle of pipes and pipeline systems,
combining engineering and production technology
All documents relevant for production can be taken from the isometric
pipe drawing and its corresponding piece lists