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F
eatures
V
ol
22 N
o
6 N
ovember
/D
ecember
2009
124
FEA simulation: the roll forming of
small diameter thick-wall ERW tube
By Jiying Liu, Guoxian Niu, Zhengqing Ai,
North China University of Technology, Beijing, China
102
121
114
Tube mills and roll forming lines
111
108
Advances in manufacturing
profiles and shaped tubes
88
Bending, end forming and swaging
technology
As industries and manufacturers demand for tubes
increases so does the onus on manufacturers and
machine makers to come up with an ever more
complicated and increasingly diverse array of sizes
and shapes. Pipes are a product that has an amazing
number of uses from the humble racing bicycle to
concept cars and advanced fighter planes so there
is a need to constantly reinvent the wheel and its a
challenge manufacturers constantly meet.
Tube mills and roll forming technology are central
to the best interests of any tube producer. Without
the most advanced machinery, high quality rolls
and tooling and efficient forming methods – such
as rotary sizing, cage forming or electric resistance
welding – the very foundations of a company can be
compromised, which is why tube mill and roll forming
experts are known as some of the most dedicated
and precise designers, engineers and manufacturers
in the industry.
T
echnical
A
rticle
The sophisticated techniques of bending, end forming
and swaging are very well established and mature
technologies but this is an area of the industry that
never feels it can stand still, and rightly so, as it is an
area where even the smallest of mistakes can prove to
be extremely costly.