TPi May 2015

products & developments

Producing zero-colour, non-oxidised weld roots

extra gas flow possible with PurgExtra models purges additional gases that are expelled by outgassing that occurs as the metal is being heated. The extra gas flow will prevent these expelled gases from combining with the hot metal and oxidising them, which causes the metal to discolour. PurgExtra comprises two inflatable dams connected by a heat-resistant, highly flexible gas hose that has the IntaCal ® II gas release system integrated. The IntaCal ® II allows the dams to be inflated correctly and then releases the inert gas to safely purge the space between the dams. IntaCal replaces the complicated valves that might sometimes fail and cause the dams to burst. The highly flexible hose allows the PurgExtra systems to be pulled or pushed easily around bends and elbows.

PurgExtra™ is the latest weld purging product range from Huntingdon Fusion Techniques (HFT) for the weld purging of tubes and pipes from 1 to 24" diameter. The range complements the PurgElite ® series, but in addition has extra purge gas inlets and corresponding exhaust ports. Designed for the weld purging of titanium in particular, as well as ultra high purity stainless steel joints, corrosion-resistant alloy welding and Duplex steel joints, the PurgExtra series allows the operator to purge normally at first, and then, when conditions are correct, to introduce additional gas at high flow rates to create a faster purge and a more efficient removal of unwanted gases. One of the key reasons to use a PurgExtra system is for the operator to achieve zero-colour welds. The

HFT’s PurgExtra dam

A strip of RootGlo ® material, located in the centre of the hoses between the dams, allows the welder to see clearly when the PurgExtra system has reached the correct position in the pipe. RootGlo can be charged by leaving it in daylight for 30 minutes, after which it will provide up to 24 hours of bright illumination inside the pipe. Huntingdon Fusion Techniques – UK hft@huntingdonfusion.com www.huntingdonfusion.com

Pay-off and take-up stands for tubes Queins Machines GmbH, Germany, specialises in the manufacture of heavy duty pay-off and take-up stands, to be used for unwinding/winding of tubes having a diameter between 9.5 and 50mm ( 3 / 8 " to 2"). These tubes are mainly used for manufacturing umbilical cables in the offshore industry. The machines are of floor-traversing type for reel flange diameter of up to 3,600mm (141") and reel weight up to 23 tons (50,000 lb). Other models are being manufactured for reel weights up to 300 tons. Further highlights are heavy-duty Queins – Germany info@queins.com www.queins.com

belt- or chain-caterpillar capstans for the same product, with pulling force up to 200kN.

Stacking and bundling system When working with round, hexagon, squared or rectangular bars and tubes, stacking and bundling is an involved process. Changing from round to hexagon bars and from one size to another is where traditional systems take time and manual work. for each time they must replace inserts to accommodate changing hexagon bar sizes or when an insert must be removed altogether to switch from hexagons to rounds.

The Asmag innovation makes sure that the bars in the first layer fall into the right position. This system is based on a simple idea but it has not been used before. In addition, software automatically calculates several possible bundle shapes and sizes.

In regard to the tendency to smaller lot sizes, this normally causes changing the inserts once an hour. Another disadvantage is the purchase, storage and maintenance of the insert-sets for each product size. The new system eliminates that step. Usually the cams are necessary because hexagonal material tends to tilt at the wrong angle.

Asmag GmbH – Austria sales@asmag.at www.asmag.at Seuthe GmbH – Germany sales@seuthe.com www.seuthe.com

Asmag, headquatered in Scharnstein, Austria, has developed a new automated method. Asmag discovered that manually adjusting the stacking machine each time dimensions or shapes changed was unnecessary. Operators typically spend a few minutes

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May 2015 Tube Products International