TPT July 2014

Technology News

CNC machine for circular saw blades

program that is able to process all the data and then select and optimise this to give the greatest efficiency with the minimum of waste. Particular attention has been paid to reducing the scrap end of the material so that this can be as little as 20mm. The material in-feeding is servo- controlled, as is the head rotation. With this, the tolerances of the cut pieces are maintained to a high accuracy, making this perfect for robotic welding systems. that offer accuracy and repeatability to quality assurance in pipeline welding. The Pipe Checker closed gap hi- lo tool is used to measure the hi-lo at the bottom of the J prepped pipes. The measurement is taken in one step that is both accurate and repeatable, avoiding any human errors. The use of standard digital gauges means that the tool is simple to use and familiar to inspectors. The calibration/verification stand enables the user to set and calibrate the

SIMEC offers fully automatic CNC machines designed to utilise circular saw blades of the DMO5 type and all their derivatives. This machine can cut to any pre- programmed angle of ±60° and has the ability to cut intersecting angles on the end of a wide selection of material types. With the choice of three loaders the machine is suited to load and feed both symmetrical and asymmetrical profiles. The CNC control uses a sophisticated TWO hand tools for measuring hi-lo gaps in steel catenary risers (SCRs) and other fatigue-sensitive pipes are now available from oil and gas pipe measurement specialist Optical Metrology Services (OMS). The tools are easy to use and are claimed to provide greater accuracy and repeatability than traditional hi-lo gap measuring methods. Every weld is critical to the successful creation of a pipeline. When welded, SCR pipes are required to have a very small (typically less than 0.5mm)

The saw can be linked to a deburring machine or multi discharge feature (the standard version has three position discharge).

Simec – Italy Website: www.simecsrl.it Hi-lo gap measurement tools

tool before use and thereafter to check that the tool is still within calibration limits. The closed gap tool is available in two variants: magnetic and non-magnetic. With the magnetic version, adjustments and reading values can be carried out without holding the tool. Both devices are supplied with an LED light, which ensures that operators can check that the blade tips are in contact with the bevel in the correct place. The open gap hi-lo tool is designed to replace manually read Vernier systems that are difficult to read and rely on the experience of the operator. Open gap welds are normally aligned with external line-up clamps, so the tool has to fit into a relatively small space. To operate the tool, the user pushes the blades into the gap between the pipes and turns the blades through 90°. The head is then pulled up and the blades make contact on either side of the gap, to measure the hi-lo difference. As the head is constrained by the plunger slide, the system is repeatable, accurate and not subject to operator bias. Arange of optional extras are available including data logging software, which takes data directly from the gauge into a PC or laptop, making data collection easier and faster. Bluetooth versions of the tools are also available. Optical Metrology Services Ltd – UK Email: info@omsmeasure.com Website: www.omsmeasure.com

internal mismatch in geometry or hi-lo gap. In the past, a variety of inaccurate and poorly repeatable methods have been used to measure the hi-lo gap, which also normally require a two-step process. To solve these inaccuracy problems, OMS has designed and manufactured two new hand tools – the Pipe Checker ‘open gap’ hi-lo tool and the Pipe Checker ‘closed gap’ hi-lo tool. These tools are accurate, repeatable and fast to use, with a digital gauge to measure the hi-lo mismatch in a single operation. The open gap tool is designed to measure the internal hi- lo of an open gap bevelled pipe joint. The closed gap tool is developed for use with automatically welded pipe. Both tools are part of a range of Pipe Checker devices from OMS

OMS’s Pipe Checker closed gap hi-lo tool

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J uly 2014