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Tube Products International March 2014
products & developments
Seamless tubes cut component costs
A European steel producer’s ability
to supply seamless tube to very fine
tolerances straight from the mill is
helping to bring down component costs
for customers in the automotive and
engineering industries.
Ovako, a producer of hot rolled and
cold worked seamless tubes, has
invested heavily in plant and procedures
to enable it to manufacture tube to
guaranteed dimensions, so customers
are able to reduce machining, improve
yields and cut costs.
The company has achieved this by
controlling the production process
from steel melt to finished tube. The
starting point is the production of high
quality steel with consistently low levels
of oxygen. Modern precision rolling
techniques are used to convert the steel
into a wide range of hot rolled, cold
rolled or cold drawn seamless tubes, as
well as hot rolled peeled tubes and cold
rolled or drawn centreless ground tubes.
Each tube size has to meet precise
tolerances, designed so that only
minimum machining is needed by
customers. The target is to enable
clean, cylindrical ring dimensions to
be achieved in a single cut. Ovako
aims for zero defects in its production
processes. Automated inspection
equipment includes laser and gamma
ray measuring systems to monitor
outer diameter and the wall thickness
of tubes, and eddy current testing to
detect surface cracks.
Ovako’s stock programme for bearing
grade steels covers 350 tube sizes from
OD 30 to 250mm. Carbon hollow bar
(EN10294) is stocked in 250 sizes in the
same diameter range. Wall thicknesses
range from 3 to 50mm. The wide range
of standard sizes means that customers
can quickly achieve a close match to
their stock requirements. The tube is
supplied either in random lengths or
to fixed lengths between 1.8 and 9m,
within tight tolerances.
As well as supplying lengths of tube,
Ovako has responded to growing
demand for pre-machined or completely
finished components, either as long
or short runs. This service, backed by
an investment in flexible manufacturing
systems, is capable of fast turnaround
to reduce customer stockholding,
cutting and machining.
Ovako’s production is based on recycled
steel, and includes steel in the form of
bars, tubes, rings and pre-components.
The company is represented in more
than 30 countries and has sales offices
in Europe, North America and Asia.
Ovako AB
– Sweden
Hot rolled tubes from Ovako
Simplifying pipe stress complexity
Specialising in piping design and
stress analysis software solutions and
services, SST has introduced Caepipe
v7.0 on its 30
th
anniversary.
Caepipe now adds more power and
flexibility to its processing engine.
New features in addition to the
standard statics, dynamics and piping
code compliance include ten thermal
loads; four wind loads; 2012 ANSI/
ASME B31 and European EN codes;
95+ load cases; expansion stresses
for 50+ thermal ranges; support load
summary for 150+ load combinations;
pump/compressor/turbine reports for
ten operating cases; and operating
stresses
for
non-destructive
examination (NDE) purposes.
Caepipe software for rapid pipe stress
analysis of any complexity is used
not only in traditional applications
such as power generation, district
heating and petrochemical, but also
on advanced fighter aircraft, the
Space Shuttle and on submarines.
Using the optional translators,
piping data can be imported from
AutoCAD Plant 3D, CATIA, PDMS,
PDS, SmartPlant 3D, ProCAD, Caesar
II, Pipepak and many others. SST
Systems, Inc was founded in 1983,
dedicated to providing a complete
solution to piping design and analysis
requirements for engineers in the
process, energy, aerospace and
related industries. The company
offers software solutions and services
for piping design, stress analysis and
integrated plant management.
SST Systems, Inc
– USA
