TPT January 2018

T E CHNOLOG Y

Seuthe roll forming lines SEUTHE has offered roll forming lines since 1996 for the forming of open and closed profiles. The model range covers strip widths from 150 to 800mm and specialises in high-strength materials and wall thicknesses up to 7mm.

for complex profiles: infinitely variable speed adjustment of the roll axes by single drive per shaft; energy- optimised, noise-reducing, changing plate design with automatic coupling and identification; and finished lengths with reduced tolerances. The software is based on decades of experience and the latest Siemens Totally Integrated Automation technology is used.

The lines are based on a standardised and modular design, thus ensuring a high degree of standard parts and flexible design with regard to the number of forming stages. The multifunctional lines are designed for a wide range of strip widths. In addition, holes, beads and other applications can be inserted in advance. Ready-to-install products can be provided. The multifunctional cut-off unit not only offers cutting and shearing, but also additional punching or stamping. The state-of-the-art drive concept of the Seuthe lines is especially designed

Seuthe GmbH – Germany Fax: +49 2372 506 111 Email: sales@seuthe.com Website: www.seuthe.com

Nakata develops revolutionary pipe forming mill

However, large rolls with a diameter range from several metres to dozens of metres are required to obtain this kind of ideal deformation mode, which is impossible in reality. Nakata has, however, succeeded in obtaining this kind of almost-ideal deformation state similar to press forming with the ODF method. In this method, a multiplicity of die blocks move in the circumferential direction on an endless track, and are connected together to provide a tool surface with a very large curvature radius, working just like a huge roll. This new forming method has both the high productivity of the roll forming method and the excellent product quality of the press forming method. Those products that are difficult to produce by roll forming, such as pipes with very thin wall thickness, or pipes with difficult-to- form materials, can now be made much more easily. ODF shows great potential to meet the end user’s stricter needs, such as for automobile pipes that now have better secondary workability as well as quality line pipe with higher strength and thinner walls. So far Nakata has delivered two units of ODF to a Chinese pipe manufacturer and a small pipe mill equipped with a laser welder to a Japanese customer.

high productivity and relatively low investment cost. On the other hand, due to the three dimensional deformation process, which takes the pipe from flat strip to round shape, it sometimes provides localised high forming strain at the strip edge, which has been left as a big concern for weld seam reliability. In addition, the limited contact between roll and strip can make the forming unstable with high contact pressure, leading to inevitable slippage of the roll along strip surface, which affects surface quality and means short tool life. All such concerns are difficult to overcome as long as rolls are used as the main forming tool. The second category is the press forming method. There is much less deformation strain much and it provides good, consistent quality. On the other hand, it requires a huge forming load, since the forming is done in one move- ment along the whole length, which can limit the product’s maximum capable length and productivity and, as a result, require a large cost for the equipment. Nakata has now developed a new pipe forming method called Orbital Die Forming (ODF) aimed at inheriting the advantages from both of the above traditional methods, but without the disadvantages. In roll forming, the bigger the forming roll’s diameter is, the closer to a ‘plane deformation’ state the forming becomes.

NAKATA Manufacturing Company has announced the development of a new forming method, which can make high quality pipes with lower deformation strain while maintaining high levels of productivity. Nakata is a welded pipe plant supplier covering the whole spectrum of equipment – from entry section to finishing section. By making full use of a self-developed high-speed, high- precision FEM simulator, the company has developed and brought many unique technologies into the industry including FFX Mill and Roll Box, which apply common-use roll technology and have high formability for quality round and square pipe production. More than 80 of its FFX Mills have been installed over the ten years since it was first developed, and it has established a reputation for reliability in providing high quality pipes around the globe. However, Nakata understands that further developing its forming technology is important. It also realises that there is a limitation in the development of current forming mill systems that use traditional roll forming methods, and a further technical breakthrough was required. Currently the longitudinal weld seam pipe manufacturing process can be classified in two categories. The first category is the roll forming method. It is used widely thanks to its

Nakata Ltd – Japan Email: sales@nakata-mfg.co.jp Website: www.nakata-mfg.co.jp

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JANUARY 2018