A fluid-carrying line usually consists of a length of tube or pipe that has a fitting that is either attached at the end of the tube by a conventional swaging method or attached to the tube by welding. A little-known process, elastomeric swaging, bulge-forms the tube or pipe ends. Its niche is in small-diameter, heavy-wall applications that carry fluid under substantial pressure.

Hautau Tube Cutoff Systems LLC turned the lathe concept on its head when it developed a machine that holds tube steady and uses tooling that orbits the workpiece. This concept, coupled with a handful of other innovations developed over the Hautau brothers’ professional careers, make these machines unique in how the perform recut operations.

Years ago tube and pipe producers relied mainly on eddy current testing and ultrasonic testing for detecting short- and long-duration weld faults, respectively. These testing systems are still useful and in many cases required, but the spread of electronic technology has provided many more types of testing equipment for use on tube and pipe mills.

Bad bends and abnormal tooling wear can result from a number of factors, two of which are worn machine components and work durable tooling. Check these areas first to identify whether your operation is overlooking a hidden problem.