TPT January 2024

TUBE BENDING, END FORMING & SWAGING

Bending company launches consumable tooling service to help manufacturers

“Regardless customer’s consumable bend tool requirements, be it wiper dies, mandrel balls or other goods, we’ll create an agreement that meets their needs perfectly,” added Mr Gibson. “No matter where they’re based, we’ll hold ample stocks of the bend tools they frequently require at one of our UK, US or partner facilities around the world, for dispatch as and when they’re needed.” As well as aluminium bronze consumable bend tooling, Unison also produces long-life precision tooling for challenging tool manipulation applications. “Choosing Unison tooling means de-risking your processes, as we ensure every tool fits perfectly and makes parts accurately,” added Mr Gibson. “We can also customise tool mounts so that new tooling can be used with existing machines, while our quick change collets and mandrels, and bar coded tooling, further streamline the tube manipulation process and help businesses save time.” of a

From here, fully tailored tooling agreements are prepared and around one hundred thousand pounds worth of tooling, including mandrel balls and wiper dies, is held in stock. “We’ve been aware of a gap in the consumable bend tooling market for some time,” said Unison sales applications engineer, Luke Gibson. “As such, we wanted to extend our already extensive tooling service to provide even greater convenience to Unison customers, while also giving users of other makes of tube bending machines rapid access to our consumable and long-life products. Our new tooling centre allows us to do just that.” By holding stocks of consumable tooling on behalf of its customers, Unison ensures faster delivery than for tooling made to order. Unison’s consumable tooling agreements enable customers to minimise the volume of tooling they would typically keep on site and benefit from the associated cost savings. On-demand, next day and scheduled deliveries eliminate the risk of a tooling shortage stopping production and provide the opportunity to standardise tooling across different manufacturing sites. approach not only ensures exceptional pipe quality, but also reduces the time required for roll exchanges. In addition, it guarantees consistent forming of the strip edge, facilitating outstanding welding quality in both high-demand thin-walled (T/D: less than 1 per cent) and thick-walled pipes. Baekchun Precision Co Ltd, a specialist manufacturer of tube mill lines, was entrusted with the responsibility of designing, installing and commissioning the cutting-edge equipment. The company rapidly began the mill manufacturing process upon commissioning, achieving commercial production in record time. SeAH Steel expressed sincere gratitude for their invaluable contributions.

UNISON Ltd, the UK-based manu- facturer of tube and pipe bending machinery, has launched a new bend tooling service to make it straightforward for businesses in the UK and further afield to receive the quality consumable tooling they require. The result of a £500,000 investment, with a further £250,000 spend planned by the end of 2023, at the heart of the service is a new tooling manufacturing centre at Unison’s Scarborough HQ.

Unison produces long-life precision tooling for challenging tool manipulation applications Utilising coils instead of roll bending methods for pipe production

Unison Ltd www.unisonltd.com

Notably, this equipment stands as Korea’s largest and the first of its kind, enabling the manufacture of STS pipes up to 24" in diameter. By utilising coils as raw materials instead of employing the roll bending and press bending methods, it facilitates the complete manufacturing process of forming, welding, and heat treatment within the tube mill line. Consequently, the production capacity has increased to 10,000 tons while also ensuring exceptional product quality. This remarkable feat positions SeAH Steel favourably in the global LNG facility market, particularly for the supply of specialised pipes.

SEAH Steel CEO Lee Hwi-ryeong has successfully concluded the expansion project for the South Korea’s first stainless steel 24" welding pipe manufacturing line. With this expansion, the company is ready to commence full scale production with the intention of establishing a prominent global position within the LNG market. Installed at SeAH Steel’s Suncheon plant, the STS 24" tube mill line was meticulously designed and constructed using Baekchun Precision Co Ltd’s patented I-Special Forming System. The innovative system retains the reliable quality of the conventional break-down method for forming, while allowing for the partial replacement of rolls during size change. This breakthrough

Baekchun Precision Co Ltd www.bcpre.com

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JANUARY 2024