Rafter announces partnership with HKS-Prozesstechnik

Rafter Equipment Corp., Strongsville, Ohio, has reached an agreement with HKS-Prozesstechnik GmbH to become the exclusive North American system integrator for its ThermoProfilScanner (TPS) nondestructive weld seam inspection system.

The system uses a lens-free thermal imaging sensor to capture the heat profile of the weld seam just after welding. The heat profile is recorded and displayed at the operator’s interface. Recipes for products can be established based on known thresholds for temperature distribution across the seam, profile symmetry, profile position, and maximum temperature.

The heat profiles are stored in a database relative to the location within a given tube as determined by a speed input signal. The individual tubes are identified and numbered in the database by using the customer's existing cutoff signal. Additional parameters such as tube speed and weld power also are recorded.

The database can be accessed and backed up to the customer's existing network via an Ethernet connection. Profiles for individual tubes can be recalled at any time for further inspection.

Rafter Equipment manufactures tube and pipe mills, roll forming machines, cutoff machines, and related tube and pipe mill machinery.