TPi October 2010

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developmentsproducts &
34 Tube Products International October 2010
Apple applications (apps), which can
be used on the iPhone, iPad and
iPod Touch, are becoming important
marketing tools for companies. An app
for the tube industry, called TubeCalc, is
now available.
For years people have been trying to find
an easy way to calculate certain values
of a specific industry norm, avoiding the
need to have to check various tables.
In response, RiesArt initially tried to
develop a traditional calculator.
This calculator was complicated to
make, very expensive and carried a high
risk of a critical mistake being made.
Inspired by the functionality of the
iPhone, RiesArt, in cooperation with
Bananas Design, has now successfully
developed the TubeCalc app.
TubeCalc can be used to calculate
important functions of hollow tube
sections using the construction
industry’s European Standard EN10219
norm, while operating at the same time
as an ordinary calculator. EN10219
applies to cold formed welded circular,
square and rectangular structural
hollow sections. TubeCalc allows the
user to calculate mechanical data such
as mass, (superficial) area, moment of
inertia, radius of gyration, plastic and
elastic modulus and the torsional.
Benefits of TubeCalc include instant
outcomes on all tube size ranges covered
by EN10219; reduced user errors; clear
display showing inserted data at all
times; minimised need to re-input data,
as inserted data will remain in place;
instant switch option between metric
and US Standard units; the ability to
use values from TubeCalc in the normal
calculator mode; and no more need to
check tables.
The iPhone caused a revolution when it
was released in the smartphone market
three years ago, and quickly gained
a large market share. The iPad is set
to do the same thing in the emerging
tablet market. Together with the iPod
Touch, there are already more than 85
million devices running the iPhone OS.
An important factor of the success of
these devices is the App Store, where
users can easily download and install
applications. TubeCalc can now be
found within the App Store.
Increasingly companies are discovering
apps as a tool to promote their brand
or product. An app is a more interactive
experience than traditional marketing
methods and can be especially powerful
when the unique features of the device,
such as the iPhone touch-screen and
GPS location, are incorporated within
an app.
While websites are still the dominant
form of interaction with customers,
apps can offer the same information in
a much more interactive and personal
form. Apps can be easily and relatively
inexpensively designed for numerous
functions, and Bananas Design and
RiesArt anticipate that many more apps
will be developed for the tube and pipe
industry.
Bananas Design – New Zealand
Apple apps as marketing tool booming
Metals International Limited specialises
in ERW line/casing pipe, longitudinal
welded pipe (LSAW/DSAW), spiral/
helical welded (SSAW) pipe, black/
galvanised tube, seamless tubing and
piping, alloy pipe, seamless/welded
stainless tubes and pipes, concrete
weighted coated (CWC) pipes,
FBE/2LPE/3LPE/2LPP/3LPP coated
pipes, hot/induction bends, monolithic
Major projects supported by Chinese pipe
manufacturer
isolating joints, cast iron pipe, copper
tube, flanges, pipe fittings, valves and
pressure vessel plates.
Major orders for the company include
40,000 metric tons of API X70 PSL 2 24"
ERW line pipe, and 20,000 metric tons
of API 5L X52 40"/48" DSAW/LSAW
line pipe for the Ambatovy Project,
Madagascar; 105,000 metric tons of
spiral welded line pipe for the New
Skikda LNG Project, Algeria; and 1,200
metric tons of ASME SA213 T11/T22
38mm boiler tube for the Austria Boiler
Project. The company also acted as
agent to supply 200,000 metric tons of
API 5L X70 PSL 2 42" UOE DSAW line
pipe for the QGC LNG Pipeline Project,
Australia, and various other steel pipes.
Metals International Limited – China
Steel pipe
from Metals
International