TPT March 2011

56 / 259

54 March 2011 ›
Technology Update
SMS Meer has developed a new production
technology and employed it for the first
time in the works of the Italian tube maker
Silmet SpA. ProConTube measures and
then corrects the eccentricity of copper
tubes during the drawing process, allowing
manufacturers to produce tubes with thinner
walls and of higher quality.
The core element of ProConTube
is a special sensor unit integrated into
the drawing die. It constantly monitors
the wall-thickness distribution over the
circumference of the passing tube.
The electronic controller immediately
THE offshore wind energy sector is
growing fast: In 2010 nearly 308 offshore
wind energy parks were commissioned in
Europe alone, an increase of 51% over the
previous year. Offshore wind parks require
heavier duty materials and technologies
than their land based counterparts. Steel
plates and structures must be heavier
and more robust to withstand the marine
environment.
The major steel mills Dillinger Huette
and Ilsenburger Grobblech, subsidiary of
Salzgitter AG, are important suppliers of
edge milled plates for the leading wind
energy park producers. Both steel mills rely
on Linsinger plate edge milling technology
for plates used in wind towers and their
foundations.
The Linsinger plate edge milling
machine at Dillinger Huette is the largest
plate edge milling machine of its type in
the world. This machine mills plates up to a
thickness of 120mm, length from 4m up to
25m and width from 1.35m up to 5m, with
weight up to 45 tons.
In addition to rectangular plates, Linsinger
plate edge milling machines can also mill
the edge profiles on trapezoidal and tapered
plates. These are required for the tapered
geometry of wind tower structures. Plate
edges for plate thickness reductions (taper
edges) can also be milled. The plates
are pulled through the two cutting stations
on each side of the machine. The cutter
heads are equipped with special carbide
tips that harmlessly dissipate any thermal
impact. The machine is designed for short
processes the data from this online
measurement and permanently regulates
the material intake with the highest
precision.
“Our prototype at Silmet has reduced
the eccentricity of the copper tubes by
several percentage points,” commented
Dr Rainer Hergemöller from SMS Meer.
“That reduces the material input for the
production and saves material costs.”
Pieralberto Ghidini, managing director
at Silmet, added, “Apart from the material
savings, the improved quality control is also
particularly important for us. ProConTube
processing times and efficient plate handling
starting from start to finish.
All four plate edges are milled using only
two milling units. One of the milling units is
rotated ±90° to cross-mill the leading
and trailing plate edges. Both longitudinal
sides are processed simultaneously at a
maximum milling speed of 10m/min. This
increased capacity significantly reduces
the overall running cost. The plates are
positioned automatically according to higher
level data input, then clamped hydraulically
with tongs and fixed by additional vacuum
plates (This special plate clamping system
allows free overhead crane access to the
Production technology that optimises
tube production
Plate edge milling technology
measures and corrects with no loss of
time.” ProConTube is an independent,
fully automatic machine unit. SMS Meer
employs it predominantly in pre-drawing
lines, where it is installed immediately
upline of the drawing section. Due to its
compact design it can also be retrofitted
in existing drawing lines. ProConTube is
suitable for tube diameters from 85 to
10mm.
SMS Meer GmbH – Germany
Fax: +49 2161 350 667
Website:
plate). Highly accurate drives on over
40 axes and the CNC control system
are further elements guaranteeing plates
with highest precision and most exact
tolerances. The sandwich design of the
cutter head rings allow plate producers to
mill highly flexible plate edge profiles with
minimal tooling costs, even for low quantity
batches as low as one plate. As recently
emphasised by Linsinger CEO Hans Knoll:
“Not many other machines can do all these
things at this speed and precision.”
Linsinger Maschinenbau – Austria
Website:
Combined machine axial
forming and rolling:
REB 632-5-SRM 622