TPT November 2009

B ending , E nd F orming & S waging

Optimisation of material properties The company is able to work with all types of material, including seamless or welded pipes in carbon steel and stainless steel, as well as the most sophisticated alloy steels.

Mandrel tube bending machine technology Langbow Limited, exclusive supplier of Soco machinery to the UK fabrication and manufacturing industry, offers the latest development from Soco: DGT technology (direct gear transmission). Soco has secured the patent across all major continents for the newDGT technology for bending tubes and pipes. Using an innovative system of power transmission between the electric servomotor through the bending shaft it is able to offer an efficient power transfer method. Soco has been developing tube cutting systems since 1979, and its experience with gear systems has provided it with the background to research and develop a suitable system for its CNC tube bending range. By minimising the distance between the electric servo and the bending shaft (resulting in minimal loss in power) and coupled with extreme low tolerance between gears, Soco says that it has succeeded in creating a durable and rigid system that allows silent and precise tube bending. Another advantage is found during the tube push roll tube bending process. As the tube must swiftly move through a set of rollers, the smallest change and movement on the bending arm may dramatically affect the end product. The direct gear system minimises such tolerances, bringing a stable bend through the entire process. The low noise level of the system brings greater comfort to the operator when using the tube bender, and meets the requirements of various countries and working environments. The direct gear system is available over a wide line of Soco CNC pipe benders, including 3 to 12 axis models, with multi- stack, variable radius and centreline boosting options, together with Industrial PC (IPC) interface and controls. Langbow provides the full package in support of Soco for the UK. This includes purchasing advice, installation, training, tooling support and unique five-year warranty on all new Soco machines. Soco Machinery Co, Ltd – Taiwan Fax: +886 4 23592386 Email: info@soco.com.tw Website: www.socomachinery.com

Ava-Matic UK has launched a machine that features side loading of tools, which eliminates the need for lifting equipment. The AV65S is suited to small batch or prototype production to high volume applications. Conventional end-forming machines have tool changes carried out by lifting and dropping tooling in from a top access. This requires the use of lifting equipment, which can be awkward and time consuming. The operator may need to lift anything up to 27kg, which can be hazardous and can contravene health and safety regulations. Other features of the AV65S include a PLC that can run the machine in a semi-automatic mode and store up to 300 machine settings. Typical production times to expand a tube are 2 seconds, and a claimed accuracy of ±0.02 can be maintained. Tooling for expansion and reduction are all compatible with the existing Ava-Matic range, and in most cases will Fabricom, Belgium, a manufacturer of induction bends, has the advanced technological and machine operating capabilities required to produce pipe spools with bends in multiple planes from a single length of straight pipe. This advanced bending technique is the result of experience gained throughout more than 30 years of manufacturing and development work, and is of particular value in onshore and offshore oil and gas pipeline systems as well as specific applications in the chemical, petrochemical and energy sectors. Some of the key benefits of producing weldless pipe spools from straight pipes are that it reduces the amount of welding required, and as such the associated costs and risks; and by reducing the number of welds in the system, increases plant integrity and safety while reducing the required amount of in-service inspection. Fabricom operates six induction bending machines with diameters of up to 64", all of which offer a high degree of flexibility in terms of bend radius, bend angle and bend plane, and being computer controlled, are able to achieve close tolerances.

also accept other manufacturers’ tooling. The practical, user-friendly design makes use of work/storage platforms, and enables tool changeovers to be performed quickly and efficiently. The small footprint allows the machine to be included as part of a manufacturing cell or to be positioned in areas of limited space. The segmented tooling enables end- forms to be produced on or near bends without requiring any tube clamping. The expansion or reduction of the tube is infinitely adjustable with only a small range of tooling to encompass tube sizes up to 153mm/6" diameter. A wide range of expansion and reducing tools is available off-the-shelf, and special/ bespoke tool designs can be supplied with After bending, especially of heavy wall materials or special alloy steels, it may be necessary to restore the mechanical properties using heat treatment. Such treatments include stress relieving heat treatment, normalising heat treatment, normalising and tempering heat treatment, quenching heat treatment, and quenching and tempering heat treatment. In order to be able to perform these types of heat treatment, Fabricom has five furnaces, all of which can be heated to 1,200°C. In order to meet the strict requirements set by the oil and gas industry with regards to corrosion resistance and superior material hardness, Fabricom also has a quench tank at its facilities in Belgium. Following heat treatment, bends can be cooled down immediately in order to obtain the right resistance and hardness. Fabricom – Belgium Fax: +32 2 251 17 90 Email: bending.be@fabricom-gdfsuez.com Website: www.fabricom-gdfsuez.com

Tube end former with side loading

a short lead time. Ava-Matic – UK Fax: +44 1527 518526

Langbow Limited – UK Fax: +44 1889 578872 Email: sales@langbow.com Website: www.langbow.com

Email: info@avamatic.co.uk Website: www.avamatic.co.uk

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N ovember 2009

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