How Welded Steel Tube Is Made

How Welded Steel Tube Is Made

Metal tubing is an essential part of many industrial and commercial projects. It’s used in a wide range of applications, including mechanical components, automotive exhaust systems and handrails. Tubes can be made in a variety of shapes and sizes, but the most common two types are seamless and welded. The choice of one or the other depends on the project’s requirements. Welded tubing is generally more affordable and quicker to produce than seamless tube. However, seamless tubes are better suited for high-pressure and high-temperature conditions because they don’t have seams that could weaken the structure of the tubing.

Welded steel tubing starts as a metal strip that’s been cut to the desired length and rolled into the shape of the tube. It’s then welded along its full length. Depending on the tube’s use and application, it may also undergo additional forming steps such as cold rolling and be heat-treated or annealed.

The first step in producing welded steel tube is to set up a welded production line. This typically consists of an uncoiler, shear/end welder and welding power source. The uncoiler pays the strip from a coil into a working area of the line. The shear/end welder cuts the trailing edge of the strip and the leading edge of the next coil, forming the two into a continuous tube. In lines that run at higher speeds, the shear/end welder is often preceded by a strip flattener to make the edges of the strip thinner and more even for welding.

Next, the welded steel tube is passed through a series of welding stations that weld together the two edges of the strip. The process is done using a number of different welding methods, from resistance and gas tungsten arc welding to submerged arc and plasma welding. This process allows for precise control of the weld thickness and quality. In addition, it can be used for welding tubes of a wide range of diameters.

After the welding process is complete, the new welded steel tube will be cold-rolled to final dimensions. Afterwards, it will be heat-treated or annealed to improve its strength and corrosion resistance. Then, it can be cut to specific lengths and excess weld material removed. The end result is a welded steel tube that’s ready to be put to work.

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