TPT September 2011

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48 September 2011 ›
Industry News
THE global leader in automated orbital
welding technology for the oil and gas
industry, Arc Machines Inc (AMI), has
recently consolidated all its UK activities,
including customer support, operator
training, equipment maintenance and repair
and spares supply, in a unique, purpose built
facility in Daventry, Northamptonshire,
The new, 7,000ft2 building will be the only
one of its kind in the UK to accommodate
the complete AMI product range along
with a state-of-the-art demonstration area,
full maintenance and service support, a
comprehensive spare parts inventory plus a
dedicated operator training facility.
The relocation and centralisation of its
UK operations reinforces AMI’s position as
a leader in automated orbital welding for
oil and gas applications and provides the
industry with a single source of the latest
technologies with on-site operator training
to support the timeframes and stringent
technical requirements of the oil and gas and
petrochemical industry.
AMI has been setting the standards
for automated orbital welding technology
since it was first established in 1976. The
company now has the largest product
range on the market and a reputation
for the highest manufacturing standards,
technical strength, customer service and
quality of materials.
For the oil and gas industry, orbital welding
is increasingly demonstrating the potential
for significantly reducing construction time
and costs, by reducing weld rejection rates
and thus improving productivity. Many more
companies now rely on automated orbital
welding to meet tight deadlines and achieve
the required quality.
The accuracy and consistently high
quality welds achieved by the AMI weld
heads, power sources and control systems
provide the quality and reliability essential
to this industry.
During a critical shutdown at a
Pembrokeshire refinery a UK engineering
company had to re-tube six heat exchangers.
Utilising tube-to-tubesheet welding
equipment from AMI, over 8,000 tube sheet
welds were completed to a strict deadline of
just ten days to the required standards which
significantly exceeded anything achievable
by manual welding.
At the new premises, AMI will be able to
demonstrate the full range of its products
from the industry standard, Model 15 large
diameter pipe weld head to the compact
Model 81 small diameter weld head.
Alongside these will be an extensive portfolio
of weld heads, including pipe, fusion, tube
sheet, internal diameter and ID spiral
cladding weld heads.
Also on display will be Models 205,
207, 227, 307 and 415 power supplies
which have the capability of storing weld
schedules in a microprocessor based
control system, with the option of real-
time data acquisition, in order to maintain
weld integrity with precise tolerances over
hundreds of repetitive welds or when an
identical weld is required at a later date.
AMI regional director, Michael Allman,
said: “Arc Machines has been at the forefront
of orbital welding for the oil and gas industry
for a long time and we are determined to
maintain that position.”
The new facility at Daventry gives AMI
the room to demonstrate its determination
to provide a better service to both existing
and new clients, as well as the opportunity
to expand to meet the growing demand for
orbital welding in critical applications.
Arc Machines – UK
Email:
Website:
Arc Machines consolidates UK activities
RAFTER Equipment Corporation will
participate in the Tube & Pipe Association’s
(TPA) upcoming FabCast training series. The
company’s VP of sales and marketing, Mark
Prasek, will co-present Part 1 of the 3-part
series on 15 June entitled Introduction to
tube mill equipment and functionality.
The series is intended to introduce
newer mill operators to the various parts
and basic functions of the typical tube
mill line. This includes an overview of the
line from front to back, identification of
major line components by their common
names, and give insight into why certain
components are used over others. The
series will be presented live and online
through the Fabricators & Manufacturers
Association (FMA). The fees are based
on each location, so multiple attendees
from the same location can attend at no
additional charge.
Tube & Pipe Association – USA
Website:
Rafter to take part in TPA FabCast Series