M
ARCH
2014
185
7-11 April 2014
assembly consisting of two top edge
rolls that control the edge presentation
prior to welding. The head roll assembly
has vertical adjustment as a group and
individual adjustments to compensate
for improper strip edge alignment.
The main squeeze pressure is
provided by the bottom squeeze unit,
which will utilise two side rolls only for
rounds that range from 38.1 to 82.6mm
(1.5" to 3.25") OD, or two side rolls and
one bottom roll for rounds that range
from 82.6 to 127mm (3.25" to 5") OD.
The ability to switch from four-roll to
five-roll configuration allows the operator
flexibility to provide the proper material
presentation for the welder. The bottom
squeeze roll assemblies are unique, in
that there is fast sides close adjustment
as well as a fine tuned (and geared)
close adjustment, eliminating the need
for operators to use cheater bar tools,
which can cause injury if they slip. All
roll spindles are ‘dead-shaft’ design, so
the bearings are housed within the rolls
to yield the best possible bearing life for
the weld box.
The weld box assembly has the
ability to move up and downstream
with respect to the tube mill flow. This
allows the operator to fine tune the weld
vee angle with respect to the last fin-
pass. Depending on the tooling design,
the weld vee angle can be changed
to gain the best operating parameters
for the particular product. The weld
squeeze box assembly can handle wall
thicknesses up to 6.4mm (0.25").
Formtek, Inc
– USA
Fax: +1 216 292 2898
Website:
Yoder
– USA
Email:
Website:
Galdabini SpA
9A52
Italy
IN the production field of shafts, tubes,
profiles and rods the market requires
processes that result in a high quality
finish and the straightening operation
is now a key element in achieving close
machining tolerances. Good examples
of this are the oil and gas and nuclear
fields where the increasingly stringent
international API guidelines and recent
events have made quality standards of
pipes for these applications the most
rigorous in the world.
In order to meet the high performance
requirements of finished tubes from
leading
international
companies
Galdabini has manufactured three
automatic straightening machines.
These are heavy duty machines with
forces of 300, 500 and 1000 tons
respectively, capable of processing
steel seamless pipe with diameter 60 to
450mm and lengths up to 15m.
