surface finish. Tis is a multistep process. Te pipe may first be chucked into a lathe to machine out most of the weld bead. More typically, it is ground down with a die grinder using an aluminum oxide “rock” or carbide burr on a long rod. Te final step is honing to remove the last trace of the bead and create the required surface finish. Traditionally, this has involved a manually stroked, homemade hone of some kind.
Te tool-feed system can be programmed to expand the honing tool to a predetermined spindle load that is adjust- able for any application, protecting the machine, tooling and workers, and allowing inexperienced operators to produce consistent results. Tis also optimizes the performance of the honing abrasive. To give some idea of the impact this has, the beta-site company that assisted in development of this machine subse-
When you see a worker with a die grinder or homemade hone ID finishing a meter tube, you know you’re watching the guy who drew the short straw that day.
Te manual homemade hone usually consists of a drill
motor with a shaſt several meters long that mounts standard honing tools. Te lack of power stroking, a clutch system, automatic tool feed or load meter/control makes this an unpredictable and physically demanding job. It requires good tactile sense to find tight spots in the bore, while avoiding binding the tool in the pipe—a condition that industry wags find darkly humorous. Manual hones have dominated in this application because
it simply does not demand the power, precision and higher cost of an industrial tube hone, but that’s changed with the introduction of low-cost, automated tube hones that can use legacy tooling. Te budget-priced HTA series tube hone is the first in this
new class—an all-electric, lean design, engineered specifically for lighter-duty applications where initial machine cost is critical. Able to mount ANR275-type tooling, the most widely used tools on manual hones, it’s aimed at “surfacing” appli- cations, where stock removal is in the range of 0.030" (0.76 mm). Te base price of the machine is less than $52,000 for a model with a 13.4' (4.1-m) stroke, and it is ideal for meter runs because it is automatically stroked, safer (clutched), more accurate and pays for itself by helping quickly reduce cycle times, operator fatigue and workman’s comp claims. It includes high-end features not available with a homemade machine, such as Siemens drives and PLC control with touch- screen HMI for setting all machine parameters, including stroke reversal point, spindle/stroking speeds, and crosshatch angle calculation.
Notes from the Field Early users of the HTA report cycle-time reductions of
40% compared to manual honing because of the automation on this machine. Te control features a load meter to deter- mine areas of bore tightness, with capability for dwelling the tool in tight spots using a joystick. Other advanced capabili- ties include automatic tool tensioning, set through the PLC.
quently purchased five of them, and has completely eliminated manual honing of meter tubes at all its plants. Te meter-tube hone is available in five standard sizes with
stroke lengths of 2.1, 4.1, 6.1, 8.1 and 10.1 m. Its standard fixturing allows it to handle a bore ID range of 2.5–21" (63.5– 533 mm) and maximum part OD of 24" (610 mm). All models also handle part weights up to 8000 lb (3629 kg) with appro- priate fixturing. Te powered section of the HTA is available by itself for machining large, difficult-to-fixture parts, such as turbine rotors. An electronically controlled, 3-hp (2.24-kW), fan-cooled,
AC gear motor powers the spindle at 20-300 rpm, while the servo-driven stroking system has a speed range of 5–90 ſt/ min (1.52–27.4 m/min). Te all-electric design eliminates the noise, leaks, valve adjustments and performance variability inherent to hydraulic systems. Te HTA includes a standard 55-gal (208-L) coolant res-
ervoir and paper-media coolant filtration unit. Set on casters with a level gage for easy maintenance, the coolant tank tucks under the machine frame to conserve floor space.
At Home in the Oil Patch Since the machine’s introduction better than 10% of
those sold have gone into meter-tube applications. This machine is also widely used for light honing in other energy-industry applications, such as reconditioning/re- furbishment of hydraulic cylinders, drilling jars and other downhole tools. Initial grinding on a meter tube’s weld bead may still be
needed before honing, but the speed, consistency and safety of meter-tube production are greatly enhanced with this af- fordable honing solution. In addition, this specific application is evolving as manufacturers seek to hone greater lengths of tubing and better manage the uneven centerline that results from welding lengths of pipe together. Tis is driving the development of improved, heavier-duty tooling, guided with input from key flow-meter manufacturers.
Energy Manufacturing 2013 69
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