TPi January 2013

business & market news

Further investment at laser cutting plants Barrett Steel is offering customers new standards of tube manipulation and processing potential by making further investments at its Lasertube facilities. An LT14 (mini Jumbo) tube laser, the first in the UK, has been installed at the Scunthorpe plant, while a BLM Elect 150 tube bending machine, which offers variable and fixed radii bending in one machine, was due for delivery and commissioning at the West Midlands depot late in 2012. Together they represent an investment of £1.6mn. “Crucially, these computer controlled operations allow us to guarantee repeatability in terms of accuracy, tolerances and finish. These enhanced strengths also mean that customers can now order stock and tube bending or cutting from one source.” ship building, oil, mining and conveying industries, crane lifts and for bracings in buildings.

Stainless steel products that benefit from laser tube cutting include architectural handrailing, racking systems for shop fitting, architectural feature work, security and architectural fencing, lighting columns and office furniture. Key benefits for the customer lie in the LT14’s ability to carry out complex cutting procedures; for example, angles and V-shapes in both closed and open section tubes can be carried out in a single pass. Another key benefit is the opportunity to innovate: electronic drawing lists can be programmed directly into the machine, allowing prototypes to be produced quickly in a single pass, saving time and money on processing and providing greater opportunities to redesign and refine.

The BLM Elect is typically used by manufacturersof constructionmachines, agricultural machinery, industrial vehicles, ships, railway equipment, and automotive and motorcycle products because of its ability to deliver precise, high quality bending of medium to large tubes into complex multi-shaped tubular components. It is particularly suited to applications with little or no straight between bends or where tight radius bends are required. The LT14 can be used to cut round, square or rectangular tubes, open profiles, H-beams or IPE, and special profiles. Typical areas of use for the LT14 include agricultural equipment, heavy construction equipment, the

Recent tube laser investments at Lasertube, which include two LT8 tube lasers and an LT20 (Jumbo) tube laser, bring total investment at the plant to £3mn over the past four years. David Cleaver, sales manager of Lasertube Cutting, part of Barrett Steel’s tubes division, commented, “These investments open up a wealth of opportunities for our customers, not just in the extra operations and capacity they provide, but also in the speed of response we can offer. They also increase our capabilities for newer and growing requirements in the offshore wind turbine industry and other renewable energy markets where high volumes are required, often to tight deadlines. New Chinese factory for welded pipe Zhejiang Ningsheng Steel Pipe Co has opened a new welded steel pipe factory in Ningbo, China. With large additional capacity, products include longitudinally welded pipes, 12m in length and 18" to 64" in diameter, with approvals for oil, gas and chemical pipe use. The company is an American/Chinese joint venture with an international marketing office in the USA.

Barrett Steel – UK sales@barrettsteel.com www.barrettsteel.com

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January 2013 Tube Products International