TPi March 2016

Oilfield technology components: high quantities of the highest quality Article supplied by EMAG, Germany

facturer, machine and cycle time). This multi-layered production process benefits greatly from the intelligent EMAG machine concept, where process integrity and precision are as good as built-in. The pick-up principle scores highly Coupling sleeve production lines mainly use machines from the VSC and VLC series. They are equipped with a pick-up spindle that not only collects the workpiece from the incoming conveyor belt, but firmly holds it vertically while it is machined in the tooling zone. This is of particular advantage where large quantities of these sleeves are to be machined, as Dieter Fischer, managing director of EMAG Leipzig, explains: “The component can be produced in a much shorter time, as the various processes are carried out one after the other in cycle times counted in seconds. These processes do not only cover machining, but also additional operations such as cleaning or measuring.”

A lthough the coupling sleeve is a relatively small component, a great deal depends on its faultless performance. These sleeve or tool joints are used to precision-join the casings and delivery pipes with a perfect screw fit, providing an absolutely leak-proof and durable connection of the highest precision while bearing the weight and considerable flexural stresses of the pipes. Production errors or large tolerances on the coupling sleeve can endanger the whole resource delivery process. With this in mind, the main focus is on efficient mass production techniques, with the key question being how an extremely high quality of the production process for coupling sleeves can be guaranteed, especially when the job calls for a single production facility to manufacture millions of these components each year.

An intelligent concept provides a competitive edge

When it comes to the mass production of coupling sleeves in particular, the time savings add up to a considerable

The specialists at EMAG Leipzig Maschinenfabrik provide a very precise answer to this question. The company has specialised in the machining of oilfield components – such as coupling sleeves, tool joints and rock bit cones, as well as casings and delivery pipes – for decades. But it is the production of coupling sleeves in particular that shows how demanding this sector can be, as it covers a multitude of processes from the actual threading operation to the cleaning process, and from visual inspections to the final plating operation. The component also features a marking that details the component data (ie charge, material, manu-

The VSC 400 DUO CM turning machine with automation, as commonly used in the production of coupling sleeves

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