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Straightening & Finishing Technology
76 July /August 2007
Bronx/Taylor-Wilson (BTW), USA, is
a renowned manufacturer of finishing
equipment solutions. The company’s
product portfolio includes tube, pipe, bar
and section straighteners, hydrostatic
pipe testing machines, rotary cut-off and
end facing equipment, collapse testing
machines, material handling equipment
and other ancillary finishing equipment.
The company has installed over 1,000
straighteners worldwide, with supply to over
30 major API pipe producers in the last
three years alone.
Bronx straightening machines are based
on high quality technology whether it is
processing cold or hot pipes at over 600°C,
thin or thick walled tubes of over 50mm,
or low and high yield strength alloys of
over 1,000MPa. This equipment provides
extremely effective capacity, productivity
and tolerance for finished goods.
The company’s straighteners are provided
as 6 or 10-roll versions depending on
user specification. The 10-roll machines
have vertical adjustment on all top rolls
and numbers 2, 3 and 4 bottom rolls. This
allows the straightening machine to apply
a more gentle deflection to the tube by
deflecting or bending the material over 3 or
4 roll centre distances instead of 2 as with
the 6 roll machine.
This arrangement permits numerous
variations in the straightening path allowing
the optimum straightening load to be
applied at the required positions for any
particular pipe depending on its incoming
quality and properties.
This design also offers the operator greater
control over the straightening process
and minimises the effect on the physical
and mechanical properties of the material
caused by straightening. One of the major
advantages for utilising the 10-roll machine
is the increased ability to ‘round up’ the
tube, vastly improving any ovality that may
be present.
The straightening equipment utilises the
Compass computer aided setting system,
which is being continually developed to
incorporate the latest advances in industrial
electronic technology. The Compass
system works by recommending optimum
roll settings based on operator input of tube
size parameters.
Straightening is a skilled operation and
the success of Compass is based on a
combination of theory and best practice
from a database of stored actual settings.
The system provides the user with
consistently high quality product and
throughput capacity with the added benefit
that setup times for a size change have
been reduced to less than 3 minutes.
Bronx/Taylor-Wilson claims to have been
the first company to design, build and
install a fully automatic, in-line hydrostatic
pipe tester. In its development of each
model, the company is constantly looking
to improve cycle time, increase up time and
reduce maintenance costs.
The machine allows the end user to
hydrostatically test pipe within a 6ft length
differential in fully automatic mode. A built-
in automated measuring system can be
incorporated into the alignment station,
allowing the actual pipe length to be
transferred to downstream applications.
The company is specialised
in the design and construction
of high-speed, high-pressure
hydrostatic pipe testing
installations. The BTW design
has tested pipe with stable
pressures of 35 bars (500psi)
to over 1,750 bars (25,000psi).
Through a specifically designed
intensification system, the test
pressure holds constant and
stable, and breaks quickly to
allow the next pipe to be tested.
This intensification system
allows for fast and accurate test
pressure build times.
BTW hydrostatic pipe testers have been
designed to meet some of the most
rigorous testing requirements in the world.
The company has processed 14 different
hydrostatic pipe testing installations in the
past three years. Machines have been
designed to handle end loads of up to
2,000,000lb and test pressures of over
25,000psi.
Single headed machines have been
designed to test up to 3 pipes per minute at
10,000psi test pressure. During operation
the machines allow the operator a safe
environment on the test platform, and
ensure the safety of surrounding employees
with a fully enclosed test hood.
Bronx/Taylor-Wilson also offers a wide
variety of sealing applications depending
on the end condition of the pipe to be
tested. For plain end pipes with finished
ends, a traditional u-cup seal can be
utilised.
However, due to the high demand for test
threaded and coupled pipe, as well as
saw cut rough ends, BTW has refined
the design of the collapsing seal. It now
allows significant clearance of the pipe OD,
resulting in longer seal life.
Bronx/Taylor-Wilson – USA
Fax: +1 330 244 1961
Email:
Website:
Bronx/Taylor-Wilson Ltd – UK
Fax: +44 870 4422989
Email:
Website:
Proven top-class range of straightening
and finishing equipment
fi A 10-roll pipe straightener from Bronx/Taylor-Wilson
› Bronx supplies a range of high-speed, high-
pressure hydrostatic pipe testing installations
n