TPT January 2018

BEND I NG , END FORM I NG & SWAG I NG

Expanded induction bending capacity for 32" pipes with technology investment BARNSHAWS Section Benders

Greg North, commercial director at Barnshaws, commented on the improved facilities: “This new induction bending machine is one of largest of its kind, and gives us increased ability to support requirements for pipes in demanding industries. “Our focus on metal bending quality and accuracy means we are well placed to service customers in a variety of sectors, where fabrication standards are high. While we operate a number of similar machines, we are constantly looking for ways to improve our service, and offer more choice to our customers.” Barnshaws Section Benders Ltd – UK Fax: +44 121 557 5323 Email: sections@barnshaws.com Website: www.barnshaws.com said Ms Flaeper. In these cases, the machine setup is more complex. However, it offers several distinct benefits compared to conventional tube production, during which tubes have to be produced one after another, and are then combined into a single tube set. Here, machine set-up is not required, production is time optimised and there is almost no need for warehousing and commissioning areas. For production of this kind, transfluid integrates chip-less cutting systems, forming machines or cutting ring pre-assembly systems and bending machines into the optimised process. These systems can be linked with each other, allowing monitoring from the outside, creating processes as early as during machine setup, and can be utilised in Industry 4.0-capable processes. transfluid Maschinenbau GmbH – Germany Fax: +49 2972 9715 11

Preserving this internal profile on such a large scale is of benefit to end users. Sections with consistent internal profiles can be used on pipelines, as they do not constrict flow, whilst also minimising welding requirements. This is especially important for end users, as eliminating fabrication steps provides an expedited solution. As well as tackling large pipes, Barnshaws can offer the same induction pipe bending service down to 2" sections. Due to the versatility of the process, multiple bends can even be incorporated on the same section. This can include different radii if required, allowing end users to specify the perfect pipe section for their needs. Full traceability is offered as standard, as well as all relevant certifications. that welds the tubes to flanges. This ensures that one complete module is always available as a unit. The situation becomes more complicated and demanding when dealing with a wider range of tube sizes and geometries. transfluid has developed automation systems that allow implementation of an efficient solution. “This kind of production comes very close to a ‘one piece flow’, thus significantly reducing the time period from tube production to installation,” explained Stefanie Flaeper, CEO at transfluid. “It is in any event the most effective solution. And it is also the solution that can significantly streamline operations despite an increase in complexity. We have already implemented this successfully for several customers.” A higher degree of complexity is often needed for hydraulic systems during production. “Here, our customers frequently want to produce a complete piping kit, which consists of up to eight nominal widths as a unit, for example,”

has invested in a new high-capacity induction bending machine, allowing the company to offer customers induction pipe bending up to a size of 32" from its UK headquarters. The new capacity has been added to further support end users in the oil and gas, structural and machinery markets. Induction bending reduces many of the problems usually associated with cold bending pipes, such as wall thinning and distortion of the section. Instead, a coil heats a focused area of the pipe, and immediately afterwards cold water is applied to cool the newly curved shape. This results in a tube bending process that allows tight radii to be achieved without compromising the integrity of the pipe.

Tube bending and cutting in a single step BENDING and cutting in a single step is efficient, particularly for processing tubes of complete sets, for a wide range of tube sizes and geometries. Mechanical engineering company transfluid has developed several solutions for this purpose.

Streamlined operations are required in exhaust manifold production, where a product cannot be installed until several components are available. transfluid developed a system solution for the efficient production of a complete exhaust manifold made of four or six different stainless steel tubes. For this purpose, a six-metre-long tube is first loaded onto the tube- bending machine. Each individual tube is fitted with up to four bends. After the bending process, the tube is cut, chip-free, directly on the bending machine using a blade cutting process, and is then inserted by robot into the corresponding forming machine. It forms an asymmetric geometry, which fits each individual bend progression. After processing, the components are fed directly into a welding cell

Email: sales@transfluid.de Website: www.transfluid.de

65

www.read-tpt.com

JANUARY 2018