TPT January 2013

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Technology News
Tube and pipe
mills and roll
forming
RAFTER Equipment Corporation manufactures tube mills and
pipe mills, roll forming machines, cutoff machines, and other
related mill machinery. It is able to provide equipment for tube
sizes from 0.188" (4.76mm) to 16" (400mm) OD.
Rafter has supplied mills using high frequency induction
(HFI), high-frequency contact (HFC), TIG/plasma, and laser
welding. The equipment has been used for the production of
the following tubular products: mechanical, structural, HSS,
energy, API, refrigeration, automotive, appliance and many
other tubular products.
Rafter has remained busy during the recent economic
downturn. A duplicate of the RT-4000 mill sold last year is
currently under construction. The mill is capable of producing
energy tubing up to 76.2mm OD x 6.4mm wall (3" x 0.25")
with material yield strengths up to 1,000 MPa (150,000 PSI).
Deliveries of an RT-3000 mechanical mill and an RT-3000
automotive tube mill with full strip entry section will follow later
this year.
Last year also brought Rafter many mill upgrade projects.
These were mainly weld squeeze box and turkshead straightener
retrofits. Most of the upgrades were driven by the customer’s
need to produce tubes with heavier wall thicknesses and/or
using higher yield strength materials.
In 2009 Rafter expanded its offering through an overseas
partnership to include uncoilers, levelers, coil end joiners,
strip accumulators, flying saw cutoffs and tube bundling and
packaging equipment.
Although the mechanical portions are manufactured
overseas, the electrical and hydraulic portions will be supplied
by Rafter from US sources. In addition, the after-sales service
and support will be handled by Rafter.
Last year, Rafter reached an agreement with HKS-
Prozesstechnik GmbH ) to become
the exclusive US system integrator for the ThermoProfilScanner
(TPS) non-destructive weld seam inspection system. The TPS
uses a unique “lens-less” thermal imaging sensor to capture
the heat profile of the weld seam just after welding. The heat
profile is displayed at the operator’s interface and saved for
later inspection.
Originally started in 1917 as a roll forming machine builder,
the company was purchased, relocated, and transformed into
one of North America’s premier tube mill manufacturers in 1988.
Since this time, Rafter Equipment has provided nearly 100
tube mills and more than 400 mill accessory upgrades. Its
focus is to provide robust equipment that is simple to operate
and maintain.
Rafter supports its equipment through personalised and
dedicated after-sales service and spare parts. By doing all of
this it gives customers the equipment necessary to be both
successful and profitable.
Rafter Equipment Corporation – USA
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