TPT January 2011

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January 2011 65 ›
Technology Update
THE MOST ADVANCED MFL TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE
Scan Systems Corp Houston, Texas USA +011.281.219.9480
DIGI-TECH™ M-Series
MFL Pipe Inspection Unit
PITCO
A DIVISION OF SCAN SYSTEMS CORP
BEST IN CLASS
OCTG MFL
TUBING AND CASING
INSPECTION SYSTEM
• Full Body Inspection
• MFL Longitudinal Inspection
• MFL Transverse Inspection
• MFL Magnetic Flux Density Wall Thickness Inspection
• Eddy Current Grade Comparator
• Better Sensitivity with Hall Elements Detector Sensor
• Fully Digitized at the Signal Detector for Reduced Noise
• Effective up to 0.625” (15.875mm) wall thickness
• Production Speeds up to 150 FPM (0.75mps)
• Fully Computerized and Controlled Systems
• Industry-leading Digi-ProTM Signal Processing Electronics
• Equipment Sizes for 1 ½” (38mm) through 14” (356mm)
PRICE PERFORMANCE VALUE
UNISON has launched an all-electric tube
bender with an integrated cutter, providing
automated single-step manufacturing of
volume parts such as exhausts and tubing
or piping shapes. The new machine is
believed to be an industry first, bringing the
programmability and precision advantages
of all-servo-control to the tubular parts
manufacturing market.
The machine’s all-electric, servomotor-
controlled architecture gives comprehensive
programmability throughout the entire part
fabrication cycle. The position and forces
of the tube bending dies can be precisely
controlled, as can the movement profile and
torque applied during the ‘nick and shear’
cutting cycle, delivering accuracy and quality
of shape fabrication and end finish.
Servomotor control also ensures
that cutting positions are accurate and
repeatable from batch to batch, to within
±0.1mm (0.004"), as tubing remains under
control of a high-resolution digital motion
architecture throughout the operation.
These benefits are in addition to the low
energy consumption and quiet operation
of all-electric motion control architectures,
compared with traditional hydraulically
actuated machinery.
After a bending operation, moving the tube
to the shear tool position and making the cut
takes typically 12-15 seconds. This compares
with perhaps 60 seconds – plus the need for
skilled labour – that would be required for
handling, loading, set-up and cut-off when
the same task is performed at a separate
station. In addition to these throughput gains,
Unison’s new integrated machine means that
many manufacturers are also able to produce
multiple parts from each length of tubing.
The new machine, called the Breeze-
Blade, is capable of bending and cutting
tubing with outside diameters of up to 76mm
(3"). It comes with a multistack (multiple
on-machine tooling) facility for software-
controlled changeover between parts
batches, with the nick and shear tooling
loaded into one of the tool positions.
Cut-off is performed in two steps. The bent
tube shape is positioned automatically by the
machine’s servomotor-driven carriage, and a
circular clamp grips the tube directly adjacent
to the cutting position. The first tool strikes the
tube to create a nick that penetrates around
two thirds of the way through the tubing
wall. The shear blade then drives through
the tubing, with control over aspects such as
acceleration, speed, deceleration and torque.
Unison – UK
Email:
Website:
Integrated all-electric
tube bender and cutter
Unison has engineered a combined tube bender and
cutter with a programmable all-electric architecture