WORKHOLDING
the hole.” The UPR series through-hole air chucks have been completely redesigned for oil applications, Bennett said, al- lowing signifi cantly shorter cycle times by machining at higher RPM than with previous models. The tapered-thread hole design of pipes and couplings is machined that way to help prevent leaks and oil-site con- tamination, Bennett said. “When they lock together, they lock pretty hard so they can’t leak. When it comes to tolerancing and how things are made, there isn’t a large difference [from other industries], but one of the things they pay a lot of at- tention to is controlling drill site contamination—everything is designed so it can’t leak.”
Automating oil & gas component production is far dif-
ferent than other highly automation-intensive industries, noted SMW Autoblok’s Robbins. “When they talk about automation, it’s nothing like automotive or gun manufacturing where you have robotics. I mean, they consider an air chuck automation,” he said. “For many years, the oil & gas industry started out using nothing but three-jaw chucks, front and
rear, with manual chucks. They would have to shim the pipe to get it on center after they clamped it, and it was a long, tedious process. Someone who’s very good at it takes about fi ve minutes per jaw per chuck, so on a three-jaw chuck times two, you’re talking approximately a half an hour of setup each time you put in a different piece of pipe.”
“Just like any other industry, oil & gas is looking to make parts faster, with less scrap, less human intervention.”
Complicating matters is the oil & gas industry has several
standards for different types of pipe, Robbins added. Many of the major players—GE Oil & Gas, National Oilwell Varco, VAM and others—all have their own standards that vary from the API standard. “They all adhere to a different standard and they sell that design to other companies to manufacture,” Robbins said. “The platforms are all the same in the end. Everybody
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AdvancedManufacturing.org | February 2015
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