TPT July 2008

T ube & P ipe M ills and R ollforming L ines

Meeting the demands of JIT delivery: quick-change tube mills with ‘dual capacity’ flexibility

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Dual capacity is achieved by two different size sets of quick change subplates designed to mount on a single base system

T&H Lemont, USA, is a leading supplier of tube mills, mill rolls, consumable tooling, and related equipment. The company has recently delivered a new dual capacity tube mill system with quick-change capability. This mill is designed to produce standard mechanical rounds as well as hollow structural shapes. The dual capacity tube and pipe mill systems were developed by T&H Lemont to give tube and pipe producers a wide ranging flexibility to handle demand for just-in-time (JIT) deliveries of welded pipe and tubular products. The dual capacity mill design allows for a greater range of production diameters using a minimal amount of floor space. In effect, the dual capacity mill system gives a tube and pipe producer the ability to produce a range of tube and pipe normally produced on two different sized mills. With a dual capacity mill, the entire set of entry and exit equipment is designed to be

universal; as are the mill bases and drive systems. The ‘dual capacity’ of a mill is achieved by two different size sets of quick change subplates designed to mount on a single base system and utilize a universal drive system. In this most recent case, one set of subplate mounted driven stands with 3.5″ shafts was designed for producing tubing from 1.250″ to 5″, while a second set of subplates with 6″ shafts was designed to produce tubing from 2.5″ to 8″ diameter. The distance between the stands was optimized for the products manufactured on each set of subplates. As with all quick-change systems, one set of subplates will be in production while the second set of subplates is available for changeover. In addition, this mill was designed to utilize an overhead crane system to assist in the change out of the subplates. The subplates

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are held to the base by a special hydraulic clamping system. This allows the subplates to be connected rigidly and precisely to the mill base and when necessary, disconnected from the base quickly and efficiently. T&H Lemont has recently signed a new contract with a second customer to supply a dual capacity, high frequency, quick change welded pipe mill to produce API products. The overall size range for this new mill will be 0.75″ to 4.5″ diameters. T&H Lemont is continuously exploring new technologies and innovations to reduce tube and pipe production costs, expand capacity or capability and improve productivity for the welded tube and pipe and rollforming industries. The company has provided the technology to manufacture products such as stainless steel hypodermic needles, MI communication cables, flexible tubular products, hi-strength welded and roll-formed shapes and large diameter API pipe. In addition to complete production systems, T&H Lemont provides a variety of components and services to the tube, pipe and rollforming industries. Services include tube and pipe roll design and manufacturing, mill alignment and operational consulting. Components offered by T&H Lemont include welders, cut-offs, entry equipment, accumulators, pre-punch, post-punch, seam orientation stands, weld boxes, edge conditioner, bead scarfing systems, straightening systems, single point adjustment systems, dedimplers, blades, jaws, roll shafts and other related equipment.

 T&H Lemont are receiving an increasing number of orders for its new ‘dual capacity’ high frequency quick- change tube mill

T&H Lemont – USA Fax : +1 708 482 1801 Email : sales@thlemont.com Website : www.thlemont.com

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