Share

Streamline valve and elbow manufacturing

The energy industry is under an ongoing change. The already fragmented markets require reliable, safe,ย and affordable energy, whereas energy providers require high-quality technology, higher production capacity,ย and cost-efficiency.

Inย process pipeย production, pipe componentsย and special pipeย fabricationย areย someย ofย the most demanding phases inย the entireย pipe manufacturingย process.ย When implemented manually,ย theย entireย processย from handling to weldingย isย time-consuming, inefficient, and there is neverย aย fullย guarantee of labor safety. Additionally, it requires a significant amount of highly skilledย manpowerย to weld demanding components, suchย asย pipe elbows and valve framesย promptlyย andย withย high-quality results.

One, if not the only, option to meet the modern challenges isย productionย automation. When integratedย into dailyย fabricationย routines, automation brings immense and long-lasting advantages that are visible immediately. Automation is versatile, reliable in quality and performance,ย plusย itย reduces costs.

Welding of demanding components, such as pipe elbows and valve frames can be automatized with modern production technology.

Automated solutions for pipe shops

Pipelines require a huge amount of straight pipe sections provided by reliable pipe mills. Building different types of pipelines demand a large variety of sub-components that align with the same strict production requirements.

Today there is a great number of intelligent automation solutions for longitudinal welding of tubular pipes, pipe-to-pipe, elbow-to-pipe, and flange-to-pipe connections available in the markets. The wide selection of roller beds and positioners integrated into welding Column & Boom solutions and combined with special welding automates and sophisticated conveyor systems have been proved to bring significant improvements in pipe shop production capacity. Integrated solutions can be typically modulated from any welding and production automation providersโ€™ standard product families.

Various welding processes, such as GMAW or GTAW for root pass welding and Multi-Arc SAW welding for filling up, are integrated into large diameter pipe fabrication equipment. To maximize the output without compromising any fabrication quality, automated tube end beveling machinery, hotwire GTAW for joining small diameter process tubes, but also joining the end connectors to pipe spool components must be integrated into the production lines. Additionally, modular welding torch sets with motorized slide modules are required to automate the welding of different size geometries and designs.

PEMA welding positioner guarantees an ideal welding position which results in better production efficiency without compromising ergonomics.ย ย 

Elbow pipe weldingย with integrated special Column & Boom and welding positionerย 

One of the most common components used inย processย piping is elbowย angle.ย Thisย fittingย provides theย simplest way to alterย the flow deviation in piping systems. Angleย bendingย is typicallyย 90ยฐย or 45ยฐย degrees. The bigger the pipe diametersย and wall thicknessesย are, the more challenging it will be to meet the operational demands.ย In the production of critical pipe components, there is absolutely no room to compromise in quality.

Despite the challenging shape and angle degree,ย thanks to modern and innovative production technology,ย also elbow component welding can be automated.ย This requires faultless integration and machine communication between handling, welding,ย and control systems.

Typically, the fabricationย ofย theย elbow component process is separated intoย two differentย phases:ย internal and external seam welding.ย Due to the wall thicknessesย and handling requirements, both phases have theirย specific stationsย and processes.

Synced material handling positioner and roller beds from Pemamek to streamline valve and elbow manufacturing.

Integrated PEMA handling positioner and X-type-roller beds form an optimal solution for elbow manufacturing.

Welding solutions and heads for elbow welding:

– Internal weldingย head:ย C&B with elbow welding headย and material handling

– Externalย welding head:ย special station withย C&Bย + material handling

– Single and Tandem SAWย process

– Special positioners with interpolating movements and integration to welding

Control systemย integration

Most of theย modern production control systemsย include all the functions that effective componentsย and special pipe production require. When quality is one of the most important criteria, a well-rounded production control systemย withย a modern easy-to-use interfaceย becomes a necessity.

Automation solutions utilizingย weldingย and productionย control systemsย with adaptive multi-pass SAW functionality for thick materialsย haveย a wide range of tools to control process parameters.ย Aย verifiedย welding parameter library,ย WPS,ย ensuresย a reliable welding process withoutย the possibility of human errorsย during the welding process.ย The actual weld data can be monitored and stored with ID-information for QC and tracking purposes.

Integration of control systems, includingย theย welding process itself,ย andย controllingย welding movements by linear orย rotating systems makeย an effectiveย management tool forย operatorsย toย monitor the process, collect data, control process parameters,ย and enable full management ofย theย production equipment, such as Column & Boom, material handling,ย and welding power sources.

PEMA WeldControl 100 is based on a modern technology that facilitates managing e.g. welding process, workpiece handling, and seam tracking.

Automatingย welding processย in valve manufacturingย 

A modularย product library can also be utilized to create efficient welding solutions for valve fabrication. Whetherย the needs in valve fabrication are concerning the welding ofย circumferential welds in valve frames or theย end connectionsย in the valve,ย welding automation can handle the job.

Heavy-duty welding that valve manufacturing requires can be efficiently made with PEMA solutions. Internal and external welding of circumferential joints can be done automatically so that repeatable high-quality is guaranteedย in the valve frames.ย This can be done by combining positioners, rollerย beds, and weldingย Columns & Booms for the job. Even dedicated stationsย for valve frame weldingย can beย supplied if the process needs to be optimized atย itsย best.

For the higher level of automation, robots can be used for welding. With heavy-duty adaptive welding, it is possible to compensate for the variations in the welding groove. Weld pass sequence is always executed according to actual real-life welding groove as the groove is laser scanned before welding. Robotized solutions can also be used for welding the valve frame, but the robot excels especially inย the welding ofย valveย endย connections.

Luhtio_Jyri_1x1
Want to learn more about automating valve and elbow production?

“Throughout the years, Pemamek gathered a vast amount of experience from various solution implementations for the process industry.”

Jyri Luhtio, Application Manager, Offshore and Process Equipment

Read more

Related Articlesโ€‹

Contact Us