The welding process is one of the core ways in which we engineer custom-made precision tubes. Our high-quality tubing starts off as a flat strip of metal. The strip is formed into a tube through a series of rollers and the join, also called the seam, is then welded together.
Welded Processes
Special non-destructive testing methods – including eddy current, ultrasonic and pressure testing - are used to ensure a consistent weld. Just like with seamless manufacturing, welded tubes can be drawn down by plug drawing or sinking. This method can be used to create very long lengths of coiled tube, these can also be measured during coiling using a laser measurement.
The main welded tube manufacturing processes used are strip welding and cold drawing, but other important processes in between, or at the end of the drawing process, include:
- Degreasing / cleaning
- Straightening
- NDT testing
- Packaging
- Annealing
- Cutting and deburring
- Printing
- Shipment
Extra optional processes include:
Advantages
Welded tubing offers the benefit of high quality, cost-effective tubing manufactured in large volumes. Tubes made from strips of metal that are cold rolled then welded offer a high degree of tolerance control, and it’s possible to produce such tubing from alloy grades that are less suitable for the extrusion process – either due to quality or cost economics judgement.