TPT May 2008

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May 2008 44
Technology Update
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Investment in laser tube cutting technology
can often prove to be a highly successful
decision, as proven by the experience
of UK-based sub-contractor Duright
Engineering. Although a well-established
business with a 30-year track record, the
installation of its first BLM Adige tube
laser had an immediate impact at Duright,
contributing 30 per cent of turnover in the
machine’s first year of operation.
A second, more powerful BLM tube laser
machine was installed at the end of 2005,
leading turnover to double over a three-year
period. To build on this clear success and to
meet growing product demand, Duright have
just added a third, latest-generation BLM
Adige tube laser to its production capability.
The latest LT 712D CNC laser tube cutting
system installed at Duright’s factory is a
seventh-generation product fromBLMGroup
company Adige SpA, Italy. Compared with
the previous generation system, it provides
an 11 per cent productivity increase when
processing round tubes and 16 per cent
for other sections. Bar changeover cycle
time has been cut by 25 per cent, while
measuring, torsion and centring correction
is 50 per cent faster.
The LT 712D processes round, square,
rectangular and flat-sided oval section
tube up to 152mm diameter and 8.5m
maximum length. Offline programming
software – Tubework, Assembler and CIM –
is specifically designed for the machining of
tubes. The software creates new programs
quickly and easily, typically in under 10
minutes from drawing to finished part.
The Siemens Sinumerik 810D CNC allows
the operator to manage all the main
functions, including program downloads.
Fast set-up and changeover times – around
three minutes – means short batches can
be managed as cost-effectively as longer
production runs.
If required, the system can be supplied with
a ‘clean tube’ device to protect the internal
tube surface. This option is particularly
relevant to the machining of stainless steel
tubes used in food processing equipment
and in the manufacture of furniture and car
and motorcycle exhausts.
The fact that the laser cutting side of the
Duright’s business has grown so rapidly
is evidence that customers are obtaining
significant benefits. Consolidating separate
manual operations into a single, continuous,
non-contact cutting process equates to
reductions in cycle times and direct labour
costs, while eliminating the cumulative error
that inevitably results from the traditional
multi-machine approach.
There are also savings made in the area of
handling, rework and reject components,
together with the elimination of tooling
costs, tool wear and tool changing times
associated with traditional processes.
However, the major attraction is that virtually
any shape, however complex, can be laser
machined on both ends of a tube or along
its length, with components completed
in a single hit and on a fully-automated
basis. Not only does this free up valuable
floor space by reducing work-in-progress
and material inventory, the accuracy and
consistency of laser-cut parts has a very
positive impact on subsequent welding,
assembly and inspection times.
Prior to installing its three BLM Adige tube
lasers, Duright Engineering was processing
3.5 million tubes a year for suppliers and
distributors, mainly free issue material that
was simply cut-to-length. The company now
supplies UK and European customers with
laser cut and profiled tube of any section in
various materials from mild and stainless
steels, titanium and exotics, to aluminium,
brass and copper. Quantities vary from
one-offs to 200,000 or more, with Statistical
Process Control (SPC) routinely applied to
every order.
BLM Group UK Ltd – UK
Fax: +44 1525 402 312
Email:
Website:
BLM SpA – Italy
Fax: +39 031 715911
Email:
Website:
A guide to success: laser tube-cutting technology
 Laser tube cutting eliminates the cumulative error
that inevitably results from the traditional multi-
machine approach
 The BLM Adige LT 712D laser tube cutting system
supplied to Duright Engineering can machine
virtually any shape, however complex, on the end
of a tube or along its length
A leading Ukrainian range of welded tubes
ATM (Alpha Tube Manufacturing), Ukraine, is a manufacturer of welded tubes made of
stainless steel (austenitic and ferritic), copper and titanium alloys and bimetallic tubes.
The introduction of new advanced technology has enabled the company to make high-
quality tube products that comply with international standards (ASTM A249, ASTM
A270, ASTM A312, ASTM A269, ASTM A554, ASTM B956-07, DIN 17457 and DIN
17455 and DIN 11850). The quality of the weld seam is equal 1 (one), which means
that the seam is effectively identical to the material. This benefit guarantees safe use of
tubes in high-pressure environments.
The tubes are available as round, square and rectangular tubes, with an outside
diameter from 6-60.3mm and wall thickness from 0.4mm to 3mm.
ATM’s products can be utilized in a number of different fields, mainly in chemical
industry, mechanical engineering (chemical, power, agricultural), power engineering,
food and medical industries, shipbuilding, motor industry, and instrument making.
ATM Ltd – Ukraine
Fax: +380 562 320632 • Email: