Automated tube measurement in high resolution with the new TubeInspect

The new TubeInspect is an update of our well-known turnkey tube and wire inspection solution. It’s available in four system configurations, including HRC versions boasting higher-definition camera resolution for improved measurement functionality. These new ‘high-resolution camera’ models will also deliver full automation capabilities thanks to advancements made with the new version 7.0 of the BendingStudio software platform, released alongside the new TubeInspect range.

“TubeInspect has been constantly evolving to meet industry needs since it was first launched more than a quarter of a century ago,” says Christoph Dold, TubeInspect Product Manager. “The new TubeInspect is both a continuation of that evolution and a huge advancement, and is built on our long years of experience working closely with the tube manufacturing industry. We’ve seen that tube production is more and more an automated process, but that quality control often remains a bottleneck. With the speed of the new TubeInspect and automatable functionality delivered by BendingStudio 7.0, this is a system that makes tube and wire quality processes fully Industry 4.0 compatible.”

Alongside with the new TubeInspect range, the new version 7.0 of the BendingStudio software platform is launching, introducing important new functionalities to customers in tube and wire manufacturing.

BendingStudio 7.0 delivers digital CAD-Adaptors, allowing sufficiently high-resolution measuring systems such as TubeInspect HRC models or the Absolute Arm with RS6 Laser Scanner to accurately measure holders and fittings without mechanical adaptors. Much like the new Hotkey control button on the front of all new TubeInspect systems, CAD-Adaptor functionality will deliver reduced measurement handling time, as well as making it easier to combine analysis of multiple production steps within a single machine.
Recent improvements to the BendingStudio software platform in version 7.0 improved the global system for measuring, reporting and saving of information around the bending process, as well as the operator independence with system sidelights now fully controllable from within the software. And with the new TubeInspect’s upgraded camera systems, finer changes in tube diameter will be measurable, as will smaller, rotation-symmetric ends, while the accuracy of diameter measurements will also be increased.

EFD Induction supplies weldac and sinac seam normalizing system

EFD Induction has been awarded a large order for tube welding and seam annealing equipment by Zekelman Industries, for what will become the world’s largest ERW tube mill. Zekelman Industries, North America’s largest independent manufacturer of hollow structural sections (HSS) and steel pipe, has chosen EFD Induction to supply induction heating equipment at their new Atlas Tube operating facility in Blythville, Arkansas USA. The equipment for producing hollow steel section pipe for the construction industry is to be installed at the new $150 million Atlas Tube factory, which when completed in September 2021 will be the largest continuous ERW tube mill in the world.

The order consists of one 2.000 kW Weldac for longitudinal seam welding, along with ve weld seam annealer stations powered by two 1.000 kW and two 800 kW Sinac heat generators, as well as one 800 kW Sinac with a traversing gantry solution to help minimize scrap. At the customer’s request, EFD Induction assisted in the development of the seam normalizing process by recommending equipment and process parameters for seam normalizing.

The induction equipment will be used to produce 28 inch (711 mm) diameter pipe with up to one inch (25 mm) wall thickness, which will be the world’s largest diameter high- frequency welded pipe. Some of the round products will be formed to structural beams. While the customer have supplied large HHS for many years already, the new mill will allow the full range of these products to be made in the USA for the  rst time—and with a larger maximum wall thickness than previously.

Atlas Tube has used equipment from EFD Induction since 1996, and the Zekelman Group operates a total of 15 Weldacs. They chose to invest in yet another Weldac for their new tube 3mill based on their own experience with the reliability of these high-output solid-state welders, as well as EFD Induction’s brand of customer service.

Colgate launches the first vegan and recyclable toothpaste in the world

A high density polyethylene tube, the same plastic used for milk containers, combined in different grades and thicknesses in order to be compressible, is the “secret” of the first vegan toothpaste in the world, produced by Colgate: until now, toothpaste tubes were considered among the most difficult materials to recycle because they were made from a combination of plastic and aluminum. In addition, the pasta contains glycerin based on synthetic products or vegetables (and not, as usual, produced with animal fat), a quality that has allowed certification by the Vegan Society. “Smile for good” is the slogan and name used by Colgate to launch the first vegan and recyclable toothpaste in the world. Two different products will soon be on sale in supermarkets across Europe, in Italy the price will be € 3.29 per tube, more expensive than the average but not too much.

What to do when the water pipes and counters are frozen

Low temperatures and night frost can damage the water pipes and meters, even in the domestic environment. But it is enough to take a few simple measures so that the frost does not cause damage.

To protect the counter from freezing it is recommended to use insulating materials with which to wind it, the most suitable are polystyrene and polyurethane foam. Absolutely not recommended the use of newspapers or cloths in cloth: in case of absorption of water and humidity, they would only make the situation worse. The problem can be solved with an insulated meter.

Obviously, the pipes must also be protected from the cold. It is unlikely that frost will affect them if the house is inhabited and the water continuously used. But in case of freezing frost, or a few days away, the advice is to open a stream of running water, so that the water in constant movement avoids the formation of ice.

Prevention is better than cure, but in exceptional frost it may not be enough. If by opening the tap we don’t notice water coming there can be two explanations. If a pipe has broken due to frost and the water is leaking before reaching the tap, you must immediately close the main valve and call a plumber.

If, on the other hand, the water is frozen inside the pipes and constitutes a plug for circulation inside the water system, it is necessary to heat the external part (meter and pipes) using a jet of hot air, for example with a hairdryer : it takes some time, but you avoid thermal shocks that could damage the pipes themselves. The alternative is to wet the croaked section of the tube with boiling water, perhaps after having wrapped it with rags. It is never prudent to use open flames for defrosting, rather there are heating cables on the market, usually used by professionals: it is an electrical resistance covered by a plastic sheath that is wound in a spiral around the tube and subsequently connected to the eletricity grid. The advantage of the heating cables consists in the fact that they can also be applied to plastic pipes and not only metal.