TPT November 2013

22 / 128

Industry News
20 November 2013
WH-350 weld squeeze box
destined for Ohio
YODER Manufacturing of Cleveland,
Ohio, a member of the Formtek
Group, has recently been contracted
to refurbish and upgrade an existing
WH-350 tube mill to produce structural
shapes (HSS).
Formtek has designed a new style
weld squeeze box that consists of a
five roll and four roll configuration as
deemed necessary by the particular
product being produced.
Each configuration utilises a top head
roll assembly consisting of two top edge
rolls that control the edge presentation
prior to welding.
The head roll assembly has vertical
adjust as a group and individual
adjustments to compensate for improper
strip edge alignment. The main
squeeze pressure is provided by the
bottom squeeze unit which will utilise
two side rolls only for rounds that range
from 1.5" to 3.25" (38.1 to 82.6mm) OD,
or two side rolls and one bottom roll for
rounds that range from 3.25" to 5" (82.6
to 127mm) OD. The ability to switch
from 4-roll to 5-roll configuration allows
the operator the utmost in flexibility to
provide the proper material presentation
for the welder. The bottom squeeze
roll assemblies are unique in that there
is fast sides close adjustment as well
as a fine tuned (and geared) close
adjustment, thus eliminating the need
for operators to utilise cheater bar tools,
which can cause injury if they slip.
All roll spindles are “dead-shaft”
design so the bearings are housed
within the rolls to yield the best possible
bearing life for the weld box, which is
considered the worst-case scenario for
environment on the tube mill.
The weld box assembly has one last
feature that is the ability to move up and
downstream with respect to the tube mill
flow.
This allows the operator to fine tune
the weld vee angle with respect to the
last fin-pass. Therefore, depending on
your particular tooling design, the weld
vee angle can be changed to gain the
best operating parameters for your
particular product. The weld squeeze
box assembly can handle up to wall
thicknesses of 0.25" (6.4mm).
Formtek is a group of long-established
companies, each with a well-known
name and a history of providing
innovative, reliable equipment to the
metal forming and metal processing
industries.
As a single source provider, Formtek
continues to supply its customers with
the highest quality equipment, parts
and service available in the industries it
serves.
Formtek – USA
Website: