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• JCO The use of JCO bending machines have been more popular to meet legs and braces demand with structure volume enhancements as well as the material thickness increases arising from larger turbines. Like three roll bending, this manufacturing process is flexible with quick changeovers between differing tube sizes, allowing small quantities to be made economically. Plate is passed through the rollers, achieving a J shape, subsequently C and finally O prior to welding. This process has high forming power and thus becomes competitive for thick wall tubes, notable for legs and especially lower portions.
Local suppliers have the capability to more readily react to the almost inevitable changes in build programmes without the need to have large quantities of stock and capital sitting idle. The speed of local supplier reactivity with enhanced service level capabilities and reduced delivery lead times will assist to enhance fabricator production efficiency and mitigate the potential for late deliveries. Additionally, moving high-density materials is expensive, so local supply offers economic benefits.
DEDICATED PROCESSING CENTRE The company has another dedicated processing centre that is based next to the plate mill in Scunthorpe, which allows Tata Steel to supply plate to wind turbine and tower manufacturers at exactly the right time in their production process. It also allows Tata Steel to carry out further processing of its plate, reducing overall lead times within the supply chain and reducing processing and stocking costs downstream.
The cutting machines cut the plates into shapes in preparation for fabricating into conical towers. The edges of the plates can also be prepared ready for welding together to produce the towers.
CLOSER COLLABORATION Tata Steel is confident that if the industry forms closer collaboration throughout the supply chain between owner/operator, designer, fabricator and steel manufacturer, it can enable cost effective design and minimise manufacture assembly and installation costs.
In addition, the use of local suppliers to minimise finance tied up in stock and transportation costs is one of the key factors to support economical serial jacket production.
• UOE
The third and most cost effective tube manufacturing process, UOE, refers to the shapes determined during the phase production, with flat plate initially bent into a U, followed by an O as the plate forced round in dies. The E then results from the use of an expander to enable the tube to be delivered to specific tolerances. With the initial high capital and set up costs for each tube size, this process combined with single pass submerged arc welding becomes a cost effective route for large quantities of tubes.
SUPPLY
Supply of assemblies in an agreed specific build sequence minimises storage requirements while reducing the potential for tube damage. Minimising the stock within the supply chain is extremely beneficial for reducing cost and aiding cash flow.
In addition to tubulars for jacket foundation structures, Tata Steel is also able to supply smaller sized tubes and sections suitable for all primary and secondary steel work within wind turbine fabrications.
DEDICATION TO OFFSHORE WIND Components will be manufactured from tubulars at Tata Steel’s new offshore processing centre at Hartlepool and prepared for welding into the finished structures, shortening throughput times and improving cost efficiency for customers, who will be able to source all steel components from a single supplier. Preparation work will include cutting-to- length, welding, shot blasting, coating and end-profiling. Materials will then be stored for shipment in kit form to fabricators in the UK and mainland Europe using local deepwater ports and the UK rail network.
Ian Davies Tata Steel
www.tatasteel.com Click to view more info
www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
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