M
ARCH
2014
189
7-11 April 2014
equipped with a hydraulic and pneumatic
opening system, a blow-off device for
swarfs and a hydraulic clamping.
Modern welding processes – such
as laser welding – demand machining
of the slit edge as a pre-condition for
efficient processing. Thanks to strip
edge trimming by metal-cutting, the strip
edges are steadily cleaned and straight.
They meet requested dimensions and
expose the inner structure at the surface.
The edges are machined at an
adjustable angle so that any coating is
removed and the V-angle is shaped to
any angle. The area where the edges
touch each other is optimised, so that
less material has to be liquefied. This
means that the tube is welded with
decreasing energy input and increasing
welding speed.
As the tube is less compressed,
it reveals less bulge and fewer
rejections. The welding structure is
more homogeneous and the tube gets
a better shape due to less compression.
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Kusakabe Electric & Machinery
7aF13
Japan
KUSAKABE Electric & Machinery Co,
a pipe and tube mill manufacturer, is
continually developing, innovating and
improving the design and manufacture
of pipe and tube mills for the international
market.
From API, oil, gas and structural to
automotive and general engineering
applications, Kusakabe can supply
the whole mill or individual pieces
of equipment to meet production
requirements. All of the equipment is
designed and built in Japan. The forming
section of the OG&S (oil, gas and
structural) mills is composed of an entry
guide, the Universal Forming section,
followed by the patented cassette style
fin pass section.
The Universal Forming section
includes the breakdown passes and all
the forming up to the fin pass stands.
Size changes are fully automatic
and controlled by the motorised roll
positioning equipment in conjunction
with an HMI (human machine interface)
screen with its menus and recipes.
The rolls are driven to the
predetermined optimum position for
each product. The forming section using
universal tooling requires no rolls to be
changed – the positions of the rolls are
adjusted to suit all the diameters to be
made.
The Kusakabe Universal Forming
is designed so that the strip is easily
visible as it makes its way through the
forming process.
This makes it easy for operators and
engineers to see what is happening
in the forming process. The forming
flower used to shape the pipe minimises
the work hardening while providing
a suitable edge presentation for HF
welding.
