Pipe production: description

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Production of pipes differs depending on the material of manufacture, the intended use of products, diameter, profile, connection method and other technological factors. Consider the features of the release of these products and their brief characteristics.

Classification

Steel products are classified as obsolete pipes for plumbing and other systems. They are susceptible to corrosion, so they require a protective coating. Zinc is often used as it, which affects the increase in the price of products.

Cast iron counterparts are more resistant to rust, but not as strong. They are heavy and require special, secure fastening when laying. Of these structures, plumbing, heating and sewer systems are equipped.

Metal-plastic pipes have become very popular. The combination of metal and plastic allows you to achieve excellent quality indicators. Making plumbing from such elements is not at all difficult. The disadvantages of products include poor thermal stability and the possibility of leakage at the docking points.

Plastic pipes include inseveral types of polymer products. These include: low / high pressure polyethylene (HDPE, PVD) and cross-linked polymer modifications. They are lightweight, durable and corrosion resistant. Among themselves, the species differ in characteristics and properties, but they have a common production technology.

Copper pipes are the most expensive option. The material is characterized by high technical parameters, resistance to moisture, temperature extremes. Due to their appearance, such products can become a real decoration of the interior.

Production of profile pipes

The review will begin with the features of the production of the products under consideration by cold deformation. The manufacturing equipment is a compact machine, consisting of a set of rollers through which the pipe is passed. Such devices differ in power and throughput. On the most powerful units, it is possible to produce pipes not only welded, but also seamless.

Non-responsible products are predominantly manufactured on devices for the production of profile modifications. Such designs are suitable for the furniture industry, as well as for the production of decorative elements. The materials in question are in demand in various enterprises, but are not suitable for installation where an increased reliability indicator is required.

Full technological cycle

The pipe production line using this technology is based on the use of special sheet metal in rolls (strips). It comesdirectly from metallurgical plants. The thickness of the blanks may vary, which allows us to produce structures of the required reliability for various purposes.

Because at the first stage the strip has a larger width than required, it is cut into pieces of the desired size. The material is processed on a special longitudinal cutting machine. The output is tapes with a width of 50 millimeters, which are welded into one continuous element.

The resulting workpiece is wound on a drum, which ensures the smooth operation of the process. The strip is fed to a forming machine equipped with several tanks, in which the creation of a round endless part is carried out. At this stage, cold, unheated steel is predominantly used.

The main stages in the manufacture of a profile pipe

The above manipulations lead to the formation of a workpiece with an open seam. The pipe is passed through a welding unit, in which welding is carried out using high-frequency currents. In the course of the process, the edges of the product are compressed by rollers, the melt is squeezed out from the inner and outer parts. The resulting burr is removed immediately with a cutter.

Further production of pipes using this technology provides for cooling the workpiece by exposure to a special emulsion solution. Profiling a part includes the following steps:

1. Processing the pipe on rollers, which makes it possible to achieve the same section along the entire length of the structure.
2. Further, the pipe is processed from four positionsother rollers, after which finished profile products with a square or round section are obtained.
3. For an oval design, no additional finishing is required on the second rollers.

At the final stage, profile blanks are cut to the specified dimensions with the required profile.

Quality control

Finished products undergo final control. There are two main parameters for which the analysis is carried out:

1. Visual inspection is carried out by a specialist, which makes it possible to detect defects caused by wear of the rollers or their failure.
2. Checking with a flaw detector. It allows you to identify possible problems in the finished product that are not visible to the eye.

To level out internal stresses that appear in steel after deformation, finished pipes must be heated at all stages of manufacture and then cool naturally in air.

Production of plastic pipes

Products made from this material are used in the industrial sector and in the private sector. In the manufacture of polyethylene elements, special machines are used - extruders. They are divided into disk, screw and combined models. Most often, screw-type devices of various designs are used in the production of pipes. In such an extruder, the main part is the screw. The principle of operation of the machine can be compared with the functionality of a mechanical meat grinder. Units can be equipped with one or more working elements.

Disk analogues are divided into single or multi-diskmodifications. The extruder works by moving raw materials with special elements that provide adhesion. The main advantage of this machine is good mixing of polymer granules. The disadvantages include low pressure in the working area, which makes it impossible to obtain products with high reliability parameters and the correct geometric shape.

Combined (worm and disk) extruders include models equipped with both units. Used in the processing of polymers with reduced elasticity and viscosity.

Equipment

Plastic pipe production line includes the following items:

• Extruder.
• Automatic feeding hopper for polyethylene granules.
• Dryer.
• Automated controller of production stages.
• Removable type dies.
• Pull tool.
• Vacuum former and calibrator.
• Automatic water bath cooling system.
• Conveyor belt.
• Cutter with cutter.
• Adjustment for automatic stacking of the finished product.

Technology

Production of HDPE pipes involves the use of extrusion (pushing) technology. It consists in homogenization, controlled softening and plasticization of the feedstock in the extruder. Next, the finished product is formed using a spinneret, followed by cooling and final calibration.

Any polymer pipe plantequipped with a receiving hopper of the extruder. It is loaded with granulated raw materials. Then the polymer enters the working cylinder, equipped with heating elements. The granules from the loading area move to the hotter compartments of the tank, the raw materials are melted, homogenized, the melt is fed to the forming head (die).

Final steps

The working head determines the shape of the finished product and its quality characteristics. A technological feature is that when the melt is supplied, the die has a fixed temperature indicator.

Depending on the design of the heads, flat or cartridge type heating elements are used. Bypassing the external matrix and the shaping mandrel, the pipe takes on the appearance of a finished product. During the calibration process, the part enters the vacuum bath, where the final shaping takes place. This is done by pressure that presses the workpiece against the sizing fixture. Then the products are cooled and fed to a conveyor equipped with pneumatic track clamps. At the final stage of the production of polypropylene pipes, standard cutting is performed using cutters or a circular saw.

Homemade

When deciding to establish a private line for the production of plastic pipes, first of all, you need to consider what the level of product quality will be. If the products are focused on furniture companies and small construction companies, a compact machine is quite suitable, which ensures the production of products for fittings,fences, fences and other irresponsible structures.

To organize a line for the production of polymer elements, the necessary set of devices is presented above. The following is a list of equipment for the production of profile pipes from round counterparts:

• Profile bending machine.
• Line for making billets from round tubes.
• Automated welding unit.
• Device for cutting finished products.

Consumer Reviews

Users note the strength and reliability of modern pipes if they are made by a conscientious manufacturer. Consumers attribute high strength, designed for special operating conditions, as well as reliable connections, to the advantages of profile steel products. Among the minuses - a lot of weight, the complexity of handling and transportation, susceptibility to corrosion.

Plastic counterparts delight users with their low weight, flexibility, wide range of applications, and environmental friendliness. Among the disadvantages of such pipes is susceptibility to deformation from heat or mechanical stress.