TPT March 2007

I nspection, M easuring, T esting & M arking

I t is unlikely that anyone in today’s highly evolved tube and pipe industry has ever confronted a production run that reaches the stage of bundling for shipment without having been inspected, measured, tested, and marked. Even to imagine such a thing is difficult.

It is much easier to imagine the likeliest buyer (perhaps the only buyer) of that perfectly formed material: the scrap dealer, who would negotiate a rock-bottom price for it, or even impose a fee for taking it off the tubemaker’s hands. Products intended for the high purposes of the aerospace, nautical, oilfield, and construction industries have a long service life built into them. Uncertified , those same products are good for nothing but recycling – the quicker, the better. The output of a modern tubemaking plant has to satisfy its criteria absolutely, and be proved to do so. It must, like Caesar’s wife, be above suspicion, hence the critical function served by inspection, measuring, testing, and marking. Without making any changes in the tube or pipe, the specialties under review in this section of Tube & Pipe Technology even so mean everything to its saleability – and to the producer’s bottom line.

material bending springback/stretching and inspect manufactured components against specified requirements. By changing the ‘V-probe’ measuring head for a contact ball probe, the machine can be converted to a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) for the accurate measurement of components incorporating flanges and brackets. This method can also be used to measure numerous non-tubular shapes and fixings. For those requiring less functionality from their non-contact tube measuring equipment, AddisonMckee have also introduced AddiCheck™. Benefiting from the development expertise behind AdData™ ‘G’ Plus, AddiCheck models offer levels of capability and functionality more suited to mid-market tube manipulation organisations.

Ultimate tube measuring and inspection machine

AddisonMckee has further enhanced its highly proven AdData™-Plus tube measuring system with innovative software designed to make inspection even easier. Branded the AdData™ ‘G’ Plus, this latest model was created to further simplify the transition between non-contact and

co-ordinate measuring requirements. It harnesses the latest ‘G-tube’ measuring technology, developed in association with French software specialists, Romar. The AdData™ ‘G’ Plus system incorporates a range of powerful features designed to make the process of component inspection, measurement and data collection exceptionally user friendly.

fi Tube measuring and inspection with the AdData™ ‘G’ Plus

AdData™-Plus technology is recognised as a ‘total tube data’ solution for virtually every industry involved in the manufacture of tubular components. Designed to interface with all AddisonMckee CNC Databend machines, the system is based around a ‘V-probe’ non-contact light beam that requires no clamping devices and provides distortion-free measuring. Information generated can be used to program any number of CNC bending machines to replicate a given component, compensate for

AddisonMckee – USA Fax : +1 513 228 7226

Email : crogiers@addisonmckee.com Website : www.addisonmckee.co.uk AddisonMckee Ltd – UK Fax : +44 1772 323227 Email : sales@addisonmckee.co.uk

86

M arch /A pril 2007