TPT November 2009

V ol 22 N o 6 N ovember /D ecember 2009

F eatures

88 Bending, end forming and swaging technology The sophisticated techniques of bending, end forming and swaging are very well established and mature technologies but this is an area of the industry that never feels it can stand still, and rightly so, as it is an area where even the smallest of mistakes can prove to be extremely costly.

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108 Advances in manufacturing profiles and shaped tubes

114 Tube mills and roll forming lines Tube mills and roll forming technology are central to the best interests of any tube producer. Without the most advanced machinery, high quality rolls and tooling and efficient forming methods – such as rotary sizing, cage forming or electric resistance welding – the very foundations of a company can be compromised, which is why tube mill and roll forming experts are known as some of the most dedicated and precise designers, engineers and manufacturers in the industry. As industries and manufacturers demand for tubes increases so does the onus on manufacturers and machine makers to come up with an ever more complicated and increasingly diverse array of sizes and shapes. Pipes are a product that has an amazing number of uses from the humble racing bicycle to concept cars and advanced fighter planes so there is a need to constantly reinvent the wheel and its a challenge manufacturers constantly meet.

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T echnical A rticle

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FEA simulation: the roll forming of small diameter thick-wall ERW tube By Jiying Liu, Guoxian Niu, Zhengqing Ai, North China University of Technology, Beijing, China