TPi April 2012

products & developments

Hollow sections and precision ERW tubes Barrett Tubes Division supplies large structural hollow sections, both hot finished and cold formed, and holds extensive stocks of precision ERW tubes and 1.4003 utility stainless steel. in the UK, capable of handling input lengths of 18m and output lengths of 15m. The company has also recently invested in the LT14 Mini Jumbo, due to be commissioned in April. Although smaller than its counterpart, it operates much more quickly. Laser cutting delivers time savings of up to 70% on traditional methods due to faster cutting speeds and a smoother cut surface on the finished products. Cost savings are achieved through processes being carried out in a single pass.

The company now stocks high strength, cold formed hollow sections to EN10219 S420MH. These sections can offer weight savings of up to 20% and, as with Barrett’s existing stock range, can be processed on the company’s on-site, purpose built tube lasers. The state-of-the-art processing facilities include eight tube lasers, among them the Jumbo – described as the largest

Barrett has also commissioned an LT fibre laser that offers advantages in terms of a wider range of materials that can be processed – among them highly reflective materials such as copper, brass, stainless steel and aluminium. The machine is specifically designed and developed for cutting tubes and open profiles with the fibre laser source.

Barrett’s new Elec 150 tube bender will be online in April. It is capable of bending tubes up to 6" in diameter, and has a fixed and variable radius bend.

Barrett Steel – UK chris.lamb@barrettsteel.com www.barrettsteel.com

High precision tube hollows Small diameter, high precision, seamless tubes must begin as high precision tube hollows. Demand for tight tolerance, uniform wall tubing is understood by Tube Hollows International (THI), formerly Dearborn Precision. gundrilling machines cannot offer this range of tolerances, and will produce a hollow that must be further machined (OD turning, for example) to get closer to the spec.

Turning to the hole does not always guarantee a consistent, favourable outcome, and then there is the additional cost for material that will be turned into chips. THI has the capability to drill bars in mill lengths while maintaining consistent uniformity of the wall thickness throughout and to required tolerances. The company’s bore- centric process allows it to re-bore traditional drilled or extruded hollows

The company is a recognised provider of deep hole drilling services that have been utilised by the tube reducing, tube producing and tube providing industries for over 50 years. THI’s proprietary drilling process allows for ID, OD and wall tolerances custom machined to fit the varied market requirements of their customers. Standard, off-the-shelf

Tube Hollows products

to improve size, wall variation (concentricity), and ID surface finish.

Tube Hollows International – USA info@tubehollows.com www.tubehollows.com

Cutting, bevelling and welding Weldwide Solutions has added the Axxair range of pipe cutting, bevelling and welding machines to its growing range of products. and other alloy pipes with a thickness between 0.5 and 15mm and a pipe diameter ranging from 5 to 1,000mm, and bevels pipe thickness between 0.5 and 8mm.

A full range of demonstration machines is available at Weldwide Solutions. By simply exchanging motors, these machines can cut pipes, then bevel pipe ends and weld parts.

experience working with the end-user, the company provides equipment to achieve clean and smooth weld roots. It aims to assist fabricators and their sub-contractors who weld pipework for processing clients to eliminate any contamination of the clients’ product.

Weldwide Solutions Ltd – UK darren@weldwidesolutions.com www.weldwidesolutions.com

Weldwide Solutions provides products and support to achieve properly welded stainless pipework. With 20 years’

The Axxair family of pipe fabrication machines cuts stainless steel, mild steel

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April 2012 Tube Products International