TPT March 2021

Business & market news Interview

Your company specialises in 3D pipe cutting solutions. What kind of cutting technique are you using in your stationary 3D pipe cutting machines? Our machines can be equipped with oxyfuel cutting or with plasma cutting systems or with both. So, in thermal cutting we provide the complete range from basic and economic oxyfuel cutting via conventional plasmas up to the laser-like high-definition or precision plasma cutting systems. We can use the full range of the two market leaders Hypertherm (USA) and Kjellberg (Germany) on our machines. Maybe in the future we get as well into fibre laser and/or waterjet cutting. What makes your 3D cutting machines special or different compared to others in the industry? I am really convinced that we have one of the best cutting technology worldwide with our unique 6-axis concept. We have six fully CNC controlled axis as standard on our machines, which gives us a variety of advantages over the common 5-axis machines on the market. As well as this our sensing technology is definitely ahead of the competition in my opinion with laser sensing as a standard feature.

Could you tell me something about the level of quality and reliability of your machines? Müller Opladen’s target has always been to manufacture the best CNC pipe profiling machines worldwide. This relates to the technology, but also to the quality and the reliability of our machines. Due to our 100-year German machine building tradition our machines are robust and built very solidly. Let me just give you two real examples: a few years ago we installed one of the worlds longest pipe profilers at our customer Dragados Offshore in Spain – with a pipe cutting length of up to 30m. Interestingly, the 32-years-old Müller machine from 1988 at Dragados is actually still cutting when they have a lot production pressure. Last year due to Corona virus we also performed our first fully remote installation of two new machines at NPCC in the UAE. These two new machines are substituting two old Müller machines, which were until then still in production from 1981 and 1974. That is almost 50 years old! Do you also have solutions for large diameter pipes or boilers and pressure vessels? Please explain the benefits. Yes, since 2013 we have offered the ideal solution for the pressure vessel industry. On our large diameter vessel and dome cutting machine the customer can cut all 3 parts of a pressure vessel (the shell and the 2 domes or tank heads or dished ends). We build the vessel and dome cutting machine in a wide range for maximum diameters from 1,200 up to 4,000mm (48 to 160"). What do you see as the advantages of your vessel profile cutting machine? 1. Save of labour cost – up to 97.5 per cent, 18 minutes instead of 12 man hours, usually factor 20. 2. Advantages of modern CNC controlled processes – precision plasma and oxyfuel cuts, CNC controlled marking. 3. Better delivery times – 1, 2, 10 or 20 vessels are manufactured much faster. 4. Better and more constant quality – more than accuracy 100 per cent, 1.5 to 2mm vs 3 to 6mm. 5. Save in welding costs – precise cuts reduce welding volume and costs by 20 to 50 per cent.

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TUBE PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL March 2021

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