With all its products leaving the facility with customer-specific polishes, the old polishing system of Camdel Metals Corp., Camden, Del., was buckling under the workload pressure and needed replacing. Camdel Metals is a supplier of straight tube cut to length and long-coiled tube. It provides the longest seamless stainless steel tubing available; some of its coils reach up to 2,500 ft. to 3,000 ft. in length. The company also works with a variety of unique alloys, from 300-series stainless to Inconel 625 and 825 Incoloy, and Hastelloys such as C22 and C276.
"We had an old polisher that we used, and it was a maintenance nightmare, basically hanging on by a thread," says Kevin Harding, manufacturing engineer for Camdel Metals.
In looking to replace the pipe polisher, Camdel Metals became aware of AM Machinery Sales Inc., Warminster, Pa., and its ML 100 round pipe/tube finisher.
"Our maintenance supervisor and I went and looked at the polishing machine in their showroom, and they ran a couple parts for us," says Harding. "We were amazed by the design and ease of use and especially when it came down to changing the belts. We fell in love with it right away."
According to Harding, upon implementation, the benefits of the machine were apparent almost immediately.
"I would say productivity increased the day we put it into service," he says. "With the old tube polisher, we had to remove the entire tube in order to change a belt. Now we can leave the stainless tube in place, open the cover, change a belt, flip it around, change another belt and we’re right back online. It took anywhere from 15 minutes to half an hour with the old machine and just a couple minutes with the new finishing machine. It’s definitely a great improvement."
Camdel Metals has since purchased two more ML 100 [3Z] tube finishing machines, each adding significantly to the company’s production.
"We put all of our finishing machines through a grueling pace throughout a day," says Harding. "A lot of them are running 24/7, and we haven’t had any problem with them at all. Plus, we’re actually running them outside of the envelope the machine was designed for. We’re actually polishing [ 1/16-in.] tube, well under what they’re designed for. And there’s no problems there either."
Despite the near-constant usage, the ML 100s tube polishing machines have remained largely maintenance free, with no serious issues arising. This is thanks to a rugged design and high-quality parts that resist wear and tear, according to Tony McCue, president of AM Machinery Sales.
"I can count on one hand the amount of [replacement] parts we’ve ever sold," he says of the ML 100s pipe polishers. "They just run and run." (…)
The standard version [of ML100 tube finishing machine] can process tubing from 1/4 -in. diameter to 4-in. diameter. Other model machines can handle up to 12-in. diameters. (…)
"What’s made the ML 100 pipe polishing machines sellable is all the flexibility that it has and all the capability of doing straight and bent tubing," says McCue. "You can even do flared tubing." The ML 100 can also be adjusted from handling straight to bent tubing with the removal of a single bolt, and the automatic feed is hinged and swings out of the way, allowing the machine to accommodate a variety of applications with minimal setup time. (…)
So far, the interest in these finishing machines has been significant, as customers with applications as varied as motorcycle exhaust pipes, handicap-accessible doors for vans, and foot steps and handrails for trucks have implemented them into their operations. (…)
[NS ] tube grinder also simplifies and streamlines tube processing, particularly for tubing that’s not perfectly round. It features two motor heads, variable speeds from 0 to 5 m per minute, and quick and easy diameter adjustment. "If you were to put a tube through a typical centerless machine, if the tubing is somewhat out of round--and most tubing is--you’ll find it has a problem grinding all the way around the OD of the tube," says McCue. "What’ll happen is it’ll literally push the grinding head away, and you won’t get a good grind around the entire surface. So you’ll have to pass it two or three times to make that happen. But with [the NS tube grinder], you can take a tube that is literally an egg shape and put an even finish on it all the way around."
In FFJournal, USA, May 2010 Email us for more information at marketing@nsmaquinas.pt
