TPT-January-2015

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Industry News
26 January 2015
Laser specialist reports further
growth in the US market
THE production of natural gas through
fracking has helped the laser specialist
LAP to achieve its position in the
US market for high-precision pipe
measurement. Purchasers include
pipe manufacturers that are suppliers
to the fracking companies. The laser
systems allow them to ensure the
required consistently high pipe quality.
A further important market segment is
the revitalised American construction
industry, which is showing increasing
willingness to invest. The US aircraft
industry also has full order books
and relies on laser projection for
optimisation.
LAP USA has supplied more than 50
RDMS systems for the measurement of
pipe profiles in the USA and Canada so
far. “We have thus achieved a leading
market position in this sector in North
America,” said Karsten Hofmann,
president of the LAP subsidiary in the
USA. “In order to meet the increasing
demand for the Straightness Check
system for measuring the straightness
of pipes as well, we have already added
four employees to our sales team.”
LAP systems optimise quality in pipe
production. The laser systems of LAP
are particularly used by manufacturers
who produce pipes for fracking
companies. “The RDMS system
measures the geometry of the pipes
in two to six axes. Straightness Check
checks the straightness with laser scan
micrometers according to specified
parameters,” explained Mr Hofmann.
With both systems, software provides
visualisations that allowworkers to check
tolerances on monitors almost in real
time and to document finished products
for quality assurance. Mr Hofmann
added: “This concerns compressive
strength, among other things. After
all, the fracking companies pump a
mixture of water, sand and chemicals
into deep layers of rock at high pressure
to produce the freed natural gas. For
this enormous stress on the pipes, the
quality has to be absolutely perfect.”
American manufacturers of building
materials are also increasingly relying
on LAP systems. “In the past years, the
manufacturers were in survival mode
because the construction industry
was totally devastated,” Mr Hofmann
remembers. “The crisis seems to have
been overcome since the beginning
of the year; the manufacturers are
looking optimistically to the future and
are even investing in a more efficient
production.”
LAP has developed the Composite
Pro laser projection system specifically
for the manual production of CFK
components. “In contrast with the
previously used templates, the work
with laser lines is cleaner, faster and
easier to control,” said Mr Hofmann.
In the near future, LAP expects
an increased demand on the part of
aircraft manufacturers, who constantly
endeavour to increase their production
efficiency. Mr Hofmann said: “Due to their
full order books, Boeing has set itself the
ambitious goal of finishing one machine
of the Dreamliner type every three days
and is currently experimenting with
various production methods.”
LAP GmbH Laser Applikationen –
Germany/USA
Email:
Website:
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TubItaly 2015
FOLLOWING the positive results of the
first event, which took place in 2013,
TubItaly has set ambitious new targets
to further establish the importance of the
sector.
TubItaly, which will show the best
of tubes, rods, pipes and profiles, and
technologies for their production and
processing, will be held in Piacenza,
Italy, from 20 to 22 May 2015. Unlike the
previous event, TubItaly will not be held
simultaneously with EXPOlaser, and this
will allow the organisers, Piacenza Expo
and PubliTec, to put the entire exhibition
area at exhibitors’ disposal.
The slogan chosen for the
promotional event, “Piping all forms of
energy, we nourish life,” emphasises the
fundamental role of pipes and pipelines,
and everything that turns around them.
Travelling underground or hundreds of
metres below sea level, they transport
the resources that are part of everyday
life, such as water, gas or oil.
The decision to bring the event
forward from November to May will
allow TubItaly visitors to take advantage
of another exhibition: EXPO 2015. With
close proximity to Milan, TubItaly will
benefit from the strong international
appeal of EXPO, and this will help to
increase the number of visitors to the
exhibition in Piacenza.
The exhibition is supported by
Federacciai, Istituto Italiano del Rame,
and Fondazione Promozione Acciaio.
Piacenza Expo SpA – Italy
Email:
Website: