TPT May 2011

I ndustry N ews

RingSaw machine makes impressive debut

GERMAN machine tool enterprises Reika and Gräbener Maschinentechnik of Gräbener Group have been attracting positive attention recently after unveiling their RingSaw ® premiere to the machine tool world – a revolutionary design for cutting of tubes, profiles and bars – and with the latter recording a big order with delivery of seven machines to a new pipe mill in Saudi Arabia. Reika’s RingSaw ® Avantgarde has the potential to become tomorrow’s classic, the company said. Detailed test runs together with leading manufacturers of roller bearings have confirmed and even exceeded expectations. It also offers remarkable savings thanks to the new technology of the saw head that orbits the stationary workpiece: cost savings of 50 to 80 per cent, compared to conventional carbide saws at 30 to 60 per cent faster capacity have been experienced leading to the initial investment quickly being paid back. Meanwhile, new test runs with bars, smaller (40mm diameter) and bigger (600mm diameter) tubes, reported impressive results. The team at Reika stated that it is proud of the machine, which has been performing almost every day since its launch but the company, based in Hagen, Germany, is still anxious to keep the tool technology up to date. High-tech tools are constantly being developed to optimise the already outstanding results. Continuous development is also the keyword at Gräbener Maschinentechnik. Among hydroforming and hot-stamping- Underwater tube robots scoop award WATER quality engineering firm Panton McLeod has celebrated another boost to its UK water industry credentials after winning a specialist innovation award. The firm has been announced as the winner of the Pipeline Industries Guild’s innovation award, after impressing the judges with its innovative underwater cleaning robots. The robotic technology, which is used to clean and inspect water storage facilities and tanks, as well as inspecting pipelines and boreholes across the UK, was highlighted as one of the star attractions at

presses and plate edge milling machine sfor the manufacture of ship deck sections, there is a particular attention to machine tools for the manufacture of longitudinal welded pipes. Milling machines, pipe forming presses, 3- and 4-roll bending machines, post-bending presses, continuous root tacking machines, end facing machines and so on. All machines will be updated to the latest technological standards with special care to ensure the usual Gräbener reliability.

The most recent example is Gräbener’s pipe forming press delivered to a pipe mill in Malaysia, being among the fastest in the world. Gräbener engineers reduced the real pipe bending time to three minutes which was an outstanding achievement. Reika GmbH & Co KG – Germany

Fax: +49 2331 969036 Email: info@reika.de Website: www.reika.de

The Reika Ringsaw in operation

the Pipeline Industries Guild’s innovation day – a major showcase of state-of-the-art technology from across the water industry. A team from Panton McLeod promoted the robots as part of the event and, after giving an impromptu presentation about the benefits of the machines, were unanimously announced as winner of the coveted innovation award. Paul Henderson, operations director of Panton McLeod, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have won this award. There was some very strong competition at the event from a number of established names in the water sector, so it was a great testament to our services to emerge as the winner. “The robotic work is a major part of our work in the water sector and the results we have achieved with them speak volumes about our expertise. It wasn’t difficult to show how impressive they are and how

important the service they offer for the water industry. We demonstrated how our ROV robot is able to inspect and clean live potable water pipelines, using video footage we have collated from some of our most high profile work in the water industry to date.” Panton McLeod uses two robots in its specialist cleaning and inspection work across the UK, and has deployed them during high profile projects for some of the country’s biggest water firms. The larger of the two machines – the VR600 – is a special tracked robot that is manoeuvred along the floor of any water storage structure and removes any sediment build up. It can also be used to inspect the condition of water tanks and structures.

Panton McLeod – UK Fax: +44 1835 822 919

Email: info@pantonmcleod.co.uk Website: www.pantonmcleod.co.uk

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M ay 2011

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