TPT March 2012

T echnology N ews

Mill machinery and inspection RAFTER Equipment Corporation

induction (HFI), high-frequency contact (HFC), TIG/plasma, and laser welding. Its equipment has been used for the production of mechanical, structural, HSS, energy, API, refrigeration, automotive, appliance, and other tubular products. Rafter has remained busy during the recent economic downturn. The RT-4000 mill is capable of producing energy tubing up to 76.2mm OD x 6.4mm wall (3" x 0.25") with material yield strengths up to 1,000 MPa (150,000psi). The mill was shipped during the week it was originally promised, and a second duplicate mill is expected to be ordered in early 2012. Last year also brought many mill upgrades – mainly weld squeeze box and turkshead straightener retrofits. Most of the upgrades were driven by the customer’s need to produce tubes with heavier wall thicknesses and/or using higher yield strength materials. In 2009 Rafter expanded its offering through an overseas partnership to include uncoilers, levellers, coil end joiners, strip

accumulators, flying saw cut-offs, and tube bundling and packaging equipment. Although the mechanical portions are manufactured overseas, the electrical and hydraulic portions will be supplied by Rafter from US sources. In addition, after- sales service and support will be handled by Rafter. Rafter also reached an agreement with HKS-Prozesstechnik GmbH (www. hks-prozesstechnik.de) to become the exclusive United States system integrator for its ThermoProfilScanner (TPS) non- destructive weld seam inspection system. The TPS uses a unique ‘lens-less’ thermal imaging sensor to capture the heat profile of the weld seam just after welding. The heat profile is recorded and displayed at the operator’s interface. Rafter Equipment Corporation – USA Fax: +1 440 572 3703 Email: sales@rafterequipment.com Website: www.rafterequipment.com

manufactures tube and pipe mills, roll forming machines, cut-off machines and other related mill machinery. The company is able to provide equipment for tube sizes from 4.76 to 400mm OD (0.188" to 16"), and has supplied mills using high-frequency

Rafter’s RT-4000 tube mill

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M arch 2012