TPT September 2011

T echnology U pdate

Seam-welded titanium tube mills

Titanium tubes from Rosendahl in production (and right)

THERE is a strong trend for production of seam-welded titanium tubes in the tube market. Titanium tubes are used in airline engines or frames and chemical and nuclear power plants as they are very high in corrosion resistance, light in weight and high in strength. For each nuclear power plant a volume of 300 tons of titanium tube is required. So there is a lack of titanium tube production capacity globally. The raw material costs of titanium are 10 to 20 times higher than comparable steels. Even state-of-the-art stainless tube mills are not able to combine highest tube quality levels, production reliability and sufficient production speeds at lowest scrap rates for titanium tube manufacturing. To follow this Rosendahl has developed the new Titanium Tube Mill Series TH-G Ti. CARELL Corporation has introduced a new HTH 20-150 four roll, double initial pinch, plate bending machine designed for manufacturing efficiency by using an automated work cycle for the production of cylindrical and radius segmental parts. The Hi-Tech is designed to rapidly produce radiused and cylindrical parts from start to finish at the touch of a button. Machines are engineered for high-speed continuous production and easy set up using durable mechanical and electric limit devices. Add an auto loading and ejector system and the Hi-Tech unit becomes a powerful production tool for increasing

These mills are designed for the production of tubes for high security relevant issues like heat exchanger products for power generation. The main process steps are fully re-engineered according to the titanium alloy properties and end user requirements: tube forming and calibration to handle high spring back and secure a smooth surface; welding and heat treating processes that can avoid the restrictive absorption of atmospheric gases, which can lead to material embrittlement and corrosion. The dimension range for the TH-G Ti Series goes up to 120mm in diameter and can cover wall thickness values between 0.2 and 3mm. The unique features of the TH-G Ti Series are: Rosendahl hybrid-forming throughput while reducing handling time to an absolute minimum. The HTH Series boasts outstanding standard features that include automated bending cycles, top roll and pinch rolls driven, hardened and polished rolls, rapid high speed rolling velocity, automatic drop-end release at end of cycle, compact space-saving design, top support/deflector and sheet feed squaring arm and back stop. Optional components include: sheet-loading systems, cylinder ejector systems, automated sheet alignment systems, sheet pallet shuttle systems, and special machine configurations for dedicated production jobs.

for titanium tube production combines the advantages of moveable and non- moveable tooling; the introduction of a high performance level to the titanium tube manufacturing by use of high-end TIG- plasma or laser welding technology; and a fully integrated quality control system including continuous thermographical analysis of the welding seam. Stop-and-go production for zero defect welding for minimisation of scrap rates and Rosendahl titanium tube mills are equipped with in-line annealing systems, which can also handle the speed range achievable with laser welding systems. Rosendahl Maschinen GmbH – Austria Email: office@rosendahlaustria.com Website: www.rosendahlaustria.com

Carell Corporation – USA Website: www.carellcorp.com High-tech hydraulic rolling machine

The Carell HTH 20-150

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S eptember 2011

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