Pipe and tube mills create tubes and pipes in a variety of configurations. They transport unaltered content between destination sites. Their design and construction are naturally resistant to compressive stress, making them ideal for transporting fluid media (such as water or gas) across challenging situations without contamination. For rerouting conduits like cables or ropes, pipes and tubing are also helpful.

When explicitly made for that purpose, pipes and tubing are essential structural components due to their integrity. They frequently function as load-bearing beams, can be assembled into temporary constructions like scaffolding, work well as handrails, guardrails, and flagpoles, and perform specialized functions like a firefighter’s pole.

Manufacture

Depending on the operational needs, these items are manufactured in tube and pipe mills using either seamless or welding technologies. The raw materials are shaped into solid round bars called billets or rectangular steel slabs called skelps and are then treated using various methods, including submerged arc welding and electric resistance welding (ERW) (SAW).

Although the fundamental techniques for producing steel pipes and tubes have been around for hundreds of years, current mills take advantage of cutting-edge monitoring tools and technologies. Today’s manufacturers prioritize mill effectiveness and product quality while considering crucial elements, including size, hardness, material edging, and tooling.

Obviating ovality is an important goal. This is accomplished by simply heating the edges, which demands a controlled amount of heat.

Techniques

Two distinct techniques are used by tube mills and pipe mills to create seamless and welded constructions out of a wide range of ferrous and nonferrous materials. Mills can be categorized based on the type of output, the method used, or the materials used. For instance, plasma, LASER, and TIG (tungsten inert gas) mills rely on autogenous welding while ERW (electric resistance welding) mills use ERW welding.

Production of tubes and pipes is possible using a variety of welding techniques, including:

Fusion welding, also referred to as continuous welding, begins with steel that has been wound into an appropriate width and thickness. A continuous steel ribbon is produced by welding coils together end to end. The ribbon is heated to the required temperature by a gas furnace after passing through a leveler. The heated skelp is shaped into an oval shape by rolls that are positioned at the end of the furnace. The edges of the skelp are then forcefully pressed by the rollers to form a weld. The pipe is shaped to the specified size during the final sizing stage using rolling machinery.

Pipes and tubes without seams are created by quickly rotating steel billets being pushed and pulled over a mandrel that is stationary and has a piercing point in the center. A hollow shell is created, and then it is finished until it is the right size. The typical seamless design has thick walls with short lengths and is appropriate for coiling, flanging, and threading. It costs a lot and is only available in a small quantity.

Electric resistance welding (ERW): Forge welding is used to create these junctions. The technique makes use of an adequate width and thickness of coiled steel plate. The ultimate result of the ERW is cold formed. A set of rollers form the steel ribbon into a tube shape as it is run through them. The insertion of an electric charge causes the opposing edges of the cylindrical plate to weld together as they come together. Although there may be lengthy lead times, ERW welding makes it possible to deliver pipes and tubes at high speeds for mass production. The method provides uniform wall thicknesses and general size specifications

The DSAW process produces three main types of structures:

U and O: Cylinder forming is done from long slabs of appropriate size and quality using a ‘U’ press followed by an ‘O’ press. The cylinder is welded both internally and externally by a submerged arc approach, using up to 5 welding wires. This process is done by mechanical or hydraulic based cold expansion. Cold expansion gives DSAW additional yield strength and superior quality. These pipes are common for gas and oil transportation.

Rolling and Welding: Sometimes called the Pyramid Reel System, this system combines three reels arranged in a pyramid structure. Boards of a given grade and thickness are rolled between pyramid rollers to form cylinders. The cylinder is then transported to the welding station. Products in this category are delivered in minimal quantities without long lead times. It has a sizeable diameter and very thick walls. Being bulky, welding this type of pipe is slow to produce and expensive.

Spiral seam: Structures made with this process have her DSAW seams that are spiraled along the entire length. The angle of the uncoiled steel to the forming head determines the outside diameter of the tube. The sharper the angle, the larger the diameter. By manufacturing large hot-rolled coils with sufficient width, the tubes can be used for demanding applications.

At PIECSA, we have a team of experts in the metallurgical industry who help every day to improve machinery performance, provide necessary maintenance, and correct production errors to ensure high-quality steel pipe manufacturing. In addition, having the right consumables is also an important part of the production process for steel pipes, regardless of their diameter, size, length, or thickness. At PIECSA, we have everything your steel pipe production industry needs to manufacture this amazing and very useful tool around the world.

Also, we are official representatives of different brands of consumables around the world, which provide us with materials and machinery of the latest technology and allow us to advance and bring better products to Mexico to help other industries that produce steel pipes in our country.

Contact us to talk to one of our specialists in new and semi-new machinery and consumables, we are ready to assist you and help you to make your steel pipe productions more efficient and stronger.