TPT May 2007

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18 May/June 2007
Industry News
Unison, UK, has won an order worth
over US$2.5mn, to supply tube-bending
machinery to Northrop Grumman Newport
News for aircraft carrier production. The
largest ever order received by Unison, it was
secured in conjunction with the company’s
USA partner, Horn Machine Tools.
The order comprises three of Unison’s
Breeze machines, which will bend tubes of
up to 6" diameter, together with tooling and
spares. With delivery of the three benders
currently underway, Unison is expanding the
workforce at its Scarborough headquarters
to assist with the order.
Each aircraft carrier includes hundred of
miles of tubing for the ship’s systems, and
the machinery will provide the shipbuilder
with the means to fabricate the shaped
tube parts required. As each section of the
aircraft carrier is built, the data for each
part in that section will be downloaded
automatically from the design database.
Unison’s machines have been chosen
because of their ‘all-electric’ nature,
employing electric servomotors to control
the bending process. This provides very
precise bending under software control,
allowing each operation to be configured
automatically from downloaded design
data. This is ideal for the small batch
production environment of shipbuilding,
where many component parts are
fabricated in very small quantities.
The three machines will also be fitted with
a special laser measurement system,
to check final dimensions and ensure
correct tolerance. This will automatically
compensate for any minor variations in the
tubing shape.
Commenting on the order, Unison’s
managing director Alan Pickering said:
“An aircraft carrier is just about the most
complex product that mankind has ever
made. The sheer scale and precision of
the engineering operations at Northrop
Grumman Newport News is breathtaking,
and to have our machinery selected to
help with such a task is a tremendous
accolade.”
Horn Machine Tools – USA
Fax: +1 559 431 4431
Email:
Website:
Unison – UK
Fax: +44 1723 582379
Email:
Website:
Unique insight into the Japanese tube industry
Taking place from 18-20 June 2007, Nagoya Tube 2007 will provide a unique opportunity
for non-Japanese organisations to establish contacts in the Japanese market, traditionally
a difficult market to penetrate. The event is a joint international symposium co-organised
by the International Tube Association and the Roll Forming Research Committee of the
Japan Society for Technology of Plasticity (JSTP).
Taking place at the Nagoya University in the home city of the Toyota Motor Corporation,
the ITA have confirmed twenty-four high quality technical presentations. Delegates will
be able to take advantage of a rare chance to promote their company to Japan’s tube
and pipe industry.
A range of promotional methods will
be available including speaking at
the symposium, tabletop exhibition
and delegate attendance, with all the
networking opportunities this entails.
A highlight of the symposium
programme will be three unmissable
keynote speeches from world-class
organisations Toyota Motor Corp,
Obayashigumi Corp and Chiyoda Corp.
It has taken considerable persistence
on the part of the ITA’s vice president (Japan), Mr Tsutomo Nakata, to secure speakers
from these organisations.
These three major consumers of tube and pipe – Toyota, Obayashigumi and Chiyoda
– will present their views on future trends and requirements for tube and pipe products in
their respective sectors: automobile, construction and machinery/plant construction. This
information is certain to be priceless for the engineers charged with the responsibility of
generating the solutions and developments to satisfy these corporations.
International Tube Association – UK
Fax: +44 1926 314755
Email: • Website:
Japan Society for Technology of Plasticity (JSTP) – Japan
Fax: +81 3 5733 3730
Email: • Website:
Unison wins major US aircraft order
for bending machinery
A highlight will be
three unmissable
keynote speeches
from organisations
Toyota Motor Corp,
Obayashigumi Corp
and Chiyoda Corp
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