developments
products &
July 2011 Tube ProducTs InTernaTIonal
33
Tube, pipe, bar and sheet
TW Metals Ltd, based in Southampton,
England,
is
the
international
headquarters of a wholly owned private
USA company, which stocks, processes
and distributes speciality metals. The
company’s product mix includes
tube, pipe, bar and sheet in stainless,
aluminium, alloy and carbon, as well as
a variety of high alloys such as nickel
and titanium.
When TW opened its facility in
Southampton in 1963 as Tubesales
Ltd it quickly established its position
as a distributor of instrumentation
tube. Rebranded as TW following a
parental merger, the company is still
recognised as holding a wide range of
instrumentation tube. Its major markets
are aerospace (both airframe and
engine), and oil, gas and petrochemical.
Following a strategy of globalisation TW
has developed the expertise to market
and export products worldwide. Sales
manager Mike Street reports that TW
now exports over 56% of its sales to
136 countries around the globe. TW
International has facilities in France,
Poland, India, Singapore and China,
supporting global offload to major
aerospace companies such as Boeing,
Airbus and Rolls Royce.
It further supports oil gas and
petrochemical industries for a wide
variety of uses, such as down hole
drilling and further services contracts
within the sub tier network
to major companies such as
Halliburton, Cameron and
Schlumberger.
In order to continue its
high level of customer
service, the company has
implemented a state-
of-the-art
automated
information
system,
adopted the latest
concepts in supply
chain management, and
installed new processing
equipment.
TW Metals is currently experiencing
a solid increase in the requirements
for supply of raw materials in all of
its markets. Customers are reporting
good order books and there is cautious
optimism about the sustainability of
the demand. Concern is now centred
on lead times, which have dramatically
extended, and the availability of most
product forms and alloys. TW Metals
has seen increases in most production
lead times and forward planning is now
a priority for customers if demand is
to be met in the coming months. TW’s
investment in inventory allows it to
manage the increase in requirements.
Processing, and in particular the number
of cuts per month, are continually on the
increase (currently in excess of 35,000),
and TW has invested in new cutting and
cleaning equipment to help support
demand and to complement its wide
range of services.
The recent purchase of a Kasto Tec
AC4 bandsaw has reduced sawing
times across the company’s full range
of materials, with major gains being
seen in the sawing of super alloys where
cutting times have been reduced by as
much as 50%, while maintaining blade
life. Blade deviation monitoring, detects
and attempts to correct any deviation
of the blade from the set parameters
during cutting allowing fast accurate
cutting, giving TW the confidence to run
the saw unmanned on large orders of
high value material.
Full material utilisation is key on high
value products, and this has been
improved over the company’s existing
saws due to the ability of the Tec AC4
to complete the last cut from a length of
material while only requiring a remnant
length of 35mm, on a fully automatic
cycle.
The company has also reacted to the
need for investment in an ultrasonic
wash tank. This twin stage system,
incorporating a detergent and ultrasonic
wash, and a de-ionised water rinse,
is capable of processing tubes up to
1,500mm in length, and removes grease,
cutting oil and debris from external and
internal surfaces of the material. This
allows the company to fully utilise wet
abrasive sawing technology for the high
speed cutting of stainless, Inconel and
titanium tubes.
TW Metals ltd
– UK
TW Metals
sales manager
Mike Street
The New Kasto Tec AC4 bandsaw
