TPi July 2016

Since its introduction in the 1800s, welding has proved itself to every generation of pipe makers by meeting the needs of the new day. In 2016 that means smooth incorporation into the automated mechanised or robotic processes that yield products whose very names invoke demanding, specialised applications: high-temperature steam pipe; high-pressure pipe for deepwater oil well projects; high-purity pipe for the food and beverage industries. A pipe weld today is as sensitive as ever to the effects of heat and no less vulnerable to distortion; it still calls for skilled workmanship if it is to be smooth, uniform and sound: not too wide, not too high. But current standards of productivity also mean that welding is a station in a multi-activity system whose efficiency depends on perfect coordination with upstream and downstream processes that themselves operate at top speed and with no allowance for glitches. Pipe welding

It is a challenge that is met daily – and handily – in a state-of-the-art pipe mill.

Photo: Kjellberg Vertrieb GmbH, Germany