TPT November 2008

T echnology U pdate

Aqueous cleaning machine for large workpieces

Turbex, UK, has introduced an aqueous washing machine for degreasing and cleaning large components. The machine is ideal for use in repair and maintenance shops serving transport depots, railyards and marine workshops. Branded the AS-150, it can take a load of 800kg and will accommodate components measuring 900mm high by 1.4m across the diagonal or diameter. According to the company, a single- stage, spray wash machine offers a large processing volume for the capital investment. In addition to applications in refurbishment and overhaul, the AS-150 is suited to inter-process cleaning in production environments, such as batch degreasing of machined components and preparing fabrications for welding. A major advantage is that the cleaning medium is detergent dissolved in water heated to 50-75°C, delivered at 400 litres/ min and 4 bar pressure through rotating spray pipes. Problems associated with using and disposing of hazardous solvents is therefore avoided.

In normal operation, the door at the front is lowered with the assistance of two gas springs, one or more components are placed in the work chamber, the door is closed, cycle time and temperature parameters are set on the control and the automatic cycle is started. An optional lance with its own multi impeller pump delivering 10 bar can be connected directly to the 900-litre tank. This allows the operator, with the machine door open, to manually spray-wash obstinate areas of soil on a component, either before or after the automatic process. Alternatively, the machine can be used as a manual spray booth, without any automatic cleaning. Apart from the galvanized steel worktable, the machine is constructed almost entirely from stainless steel, even the integral 500-micron filter. The installed weight of this high quality machine is nearly one tonne, giving an idea of its robustness. Acoustic as well as thermal insulation ensure a good working environment for the operator. Optional accessories include a steam extraction fan, automatic refill, oil skimmer or separator, and a detergent dosing unit.

 The AS-150 aqueous washing machine from Turbex

Also available is a smaller machine in the same series, designated AS-100, for cleaning components up to 950mm across by 700mm high and weighing a maximum of half a tonne. Turbex Limited – UK Fax : +44 1420 542264 Email : john.huntingdon@turbex.co.uk Website : www.turbex.co.uk Two new heat treatment furnaces for Tenaris Tenova LOI Italimpianti, Italy, has success- fully started up two new furnaces for pipe treatment, one at TenarisTamsa, Mexico and the other at TenarisSiderca, Argentina. At Tamsa, Tenova supplied one hardening and one tempering furnace to treat 70t/h of pipes in the diameter range 114.3mm to 406.4mm. At Siderca, the company supplied one hardening and one tempering furnace for 42mm to 180mm diameter pipes at a production of 55t/h. Both contracts, covering engineering work, supply of the advanced technology plant components, technical assistance to the erection and start-up, were awarded to Tenova LOI Italimpianti (formerly Techint Technologies Furnace Business Unit), which had already revamped other Tenaris Tamsa and Siderca furnaces, increasing their productivity to 70 per cent. Tenova designs and supplies advanced technologies, products and services for the metal and mining industries. The company operates through a network of 30

Automated mill setup system T & H Lemont, USA, is set to introduce a new mill setup automation system, available for retrofitting of any existing mill. The system will use patented absolute encoder technology to achieve repeatable, highly accurate setups. A colour touch screen interface is used to select the mill setup from a menu of product specifications, based on previously stored setups. The operator enters an ID specific to the pipe or tube size. The screen shows nominal rim gaps in addition to actual rim gaps as entered from previous production data for that tubing size. The stands will automatically adjust to those locations at the touch of the screen, with each stand being represented on the touch-screen. The operator can make minor adjustments, if required, from the touch-screen in 0.001" increments. Once the best setup is achieved, the data can be stored as the new product specification. The system is capable of storing 100+ unique mill setups. The absolute encoders retain position information with ‘power off’, and never require a ‘zero-out’ procedure. For example, if an adjustment is made manually while the system is shut down, at power on, the system will recognise the new position. In place of expensive servo motor drives, the system features standard AC vector drives to replace manual adjustment of the driven stands. The system includes as standard an ethernet interface and web server for optional data acquisition. Benefits of the system include faster set-up, and reduced material waste due to setup errors during start-up. A complete mill adjustment can be accomplished automatically without the use of hand tools. Once one section of the mill has been retrofitted, the scalable system can be expanded at low incremental costs. T&H Lemont – USA Fax : +1 708 482 1801 • Email : sales@thlemont.com • Website : www.thlemont.com

companies based in 16 countries. Tenova LOI Italimpianti – Italy Fax : +39 02 4693026 Email : tenova@tenovagroup.com Website : www.tenovagroup.com

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N ovember 2008

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