Tube & Pipe
Meta is widely acknowledged as the market leader in the supply of laser vision systems for the Tube & Pipe industry. We have a huge range of solutions that are carefully matched to the specific requirements of particular Tube & Pipe industry applications.
We are active across a wide range of the Tube & Pipe industry, including:
- Spiral pipe mills
- Longitudinal pipe mills
- ERW tube & pipe mills
- TIG tube mills
- Laser tube mills
- Pipe Joining
- Pipe cladding
In spiral pipe mills, Meta has provided everything from a "simple" tracking system to a complete pipe mill control system. We have a wide range of systems matched to the specific applications, including:
- ID & OD tracking systems (online & offline)
- Gap and mismatch measurement and control systems
- UT tracking & inspection systems (online & offline)
- Strip bevel measurement systems
- Complete mill control systems
On longitudinal mills, Meta has a long history of successful applications of laser vision in LSAW pipe manufacture, going back nearly twenty years.
LSAW pipe is manufactured in a pipe mill, usually starting from large steel plates which are formed into cylinders and welded to make each individual pipe. A more detailed overview of one particular version of the LSAW process used by one of our customers is at:
http://www.bergpipe.com/files/production-process-bspc.pdf
Meta applications for important steps in the LSAW process are as follows:
|
Process Stage |
Meta System |
|
Plate edge milling to produce weld bevels |
Bevel inspection after edge milling |
|
Pipe formation, e.g. UOE, JSOE |
|
|
Tack Welding |
Weld seam tracking with mismatch control |
|
ID Welding |
Weld seam tracking |
|
OD Joint Milling |
Weld seam tracking for milling control |
|
OD Welding |
Weld seam tracking |
|
Pipe end facing |
Pipe end measurement during or after end facing |
|
Pressure testing |
|
|
UT and X-Ray Inspection |
Weld bead tracking and inspection during UT inspection |
|
Pipe Measurement |
Pipe end measurement Pipe body measurement |
Meta's Smart Laser Probe combined with our high resolution SLS-012 sensor provides a very accurate system for tracking on TIG and Laser welded tube mills, as shown below.
On ERW tube and pipe mills, there is less need for tracking because of the nature of the welding process. However, there is a strong requirement for an inspection system which can measure the bead profile, e.g. height, width, toe angles, and the mismatch across the joint in real time. The enviroment of the ERW mill is particulary harsh, so Meta has developed an extreme housing for the laser sensor as shown here.
In pipe joining, we work closely with CRC-Evans. You can see a video of a combined laser and colour camera ID weld inspection system on the CRC-Evans web site at: http://www.crc-evans.com/equipment/welding-support/v-root
You can download our Tube & Pipe overview brochure here.
