TPT July 2007

S traightening & F inishing T echnology

Proven top-class range of straightening and finishing equipment

Bronx/Taylor-Wilson (BTW), USA, is a renowned manufacturer of finishing equipment solutions. The company’s product portfolio includes tube, pipe, bar and section straighteners, hydrostatic pipe testing machines, rotary cut-off and end facing equipment, collapse testing machines, material handling equipment and other ancillary finishing equipment. The company has installed over 1,000 straighteners worldwide, with supply to over 30 major API pipe producers in the last three years alone. Bronx straightening machines are based on high quality technology whether it is processing cold or hot pipes at over 600°C, thin or thick walled tubes of over 50mm, or low and high yield strength alloys of over 1,000MPa. This equipment provides extremely effective capacity, productivity and tolerance for finished goods. The company’s straighteners are provided as 6 or 10-roll versions depending on user specification. The 10-roll machines have vertical adjustment on all top rolls and numbers 2, 3 and 4 bottom rolls. This allows the straightening machine to apply a more gentle deflection to the tube by deflecting or bending the material over 3 or 4 roll centre distances instead of 2 as with the 6 roll machine. This arrangement permits numerous variations in the straightening path allowing the optimum straightening load to be applied at the required positions for any particular pipe depending on its incoming quality and properties. This design also offers the operator greater control over the straightening process

and minimises the effect on the physical and mechanical properties of the material caused by straightening. One of the major advantages for utilising the 10-roll machine is the increased ability to ‘round up’ the tube, vastly improving any ovality that may be present. The straightening equipment utilises the Compass computer aided setting system, which is being continually developed to incorporate the latest advances in industrial electronic technology. The Compass system works by recommending optimum roll settings based on operator input of tube size parameters. Straightening is a skilled operation and the success of Compass is based on a combination of theory and best practice from a database of stored actual settings. The system provides the user with consistently high quality product and throughput capacity with the added benefit that setup times for a size change have been reduced to less than 3 minutes. Bronx/Taylor-Wilson claims to have been the first company to design, build and install a fully automatic, in-line hydrostatic pipe tester. In its development of each model, the company is constantly looking to improve cycle time, increase up time and reduce maintenance costs. The machine allows the end user to hydrostatically test pipe within a 6ft length differential in fully automatic mode. A built- in automated measuring system can be incorporated into the alignment station, allowing the actual pipe length to be transferred to downstream applications.

› Bronx supplies a range of high-speed, high- pressure hydrostatic pipe testing installations

BTW hydrostatic pipe testers have been designed to meet some of the most rigorous testing requirements in the world. The company has processed 14 different hydrostatic pipe testing installations in the past three years. Machines have been designed to handle end loads of up to 2,000,000lb and test pressures of over 25,000psi. Single headed machines have been designed to test up to 3 pipes per minute at 10,000psi test pressure. During operation the machines allow the operator a safe environment on the test platform, and ensure the safety of surrounding employees with a fully enclosed test hood. Bronx/Taylor-Wilson also offers a wide variety of sealing applications depending on the end condition of the pipe to be tested. For plain end pipes with finished ends, a traditional u-cup seal can be utilised. However, due to the high demand for test threaded and coupled pipe, as well as saw cut rough ends, BTW has refined the design of the collapsing seal. It now allows significant clearance of the pipe OD, resulting in longer seal life.

fi A 10-roll pipe straightener from Bronx/Taylor-Wilson

The company is specialised in the design and construction of high-speed, high-pressure hydrostatic pipe testing installations. The BTW design has tested pipe with stable pressures of 35 bars (500psi) to over 1,750 bars (25,000psi). Through a specifically designed intensification system, the test pressure holds constant and stable, and breaks quickly to allow the next pipe to be tested. This intensification system allows for fast and accurate test pressure build times.

Bronx/Taylor-Wilson – USA Fax : +1 330 244 1961 Email : info@btwcorp.com Website : www.btwcorp.com Bronx/Taylor-Wilson Ltd – UK Fax : +44 870 4422989 Email : smiller@btwltd.com Website : www.btwcorp.com

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J uly /A ugust 2007