Seamless tubes help cut costs

It has achieved this by controlling the production process from steel melt to finished tube. The starting point is the production of high quality steel with consistently low levels of oxygen. Modern precision rolling techniques are used to convert the steel into a wide range of hot-rolled, cold-rolled or cold-drawn seamless tubes as well as hot-rolled peeled tubes and cold-rolled or drawn centreless ground tubes.

Critically, each tube size has to meet precise tolerances, designed so that only minimum machining is needed by customers.  The target is to enable clean, cylindrical ring dimensions to be achieved in a single cut.

Quality and consistency is paramount and Ovako aims for zero defects in its production processes. Automated inspection equipment includes laser and gamma ray measuring systems to monitor outer diameter and the wall thickness of tubes and eddy current testing to detect surface cracks.

Ovako’s stock programme for bearing grade steels covers 350 tube sizes from OD 30mm to OD 250mm.  Carbon hollow bar (EN10294) is stocked in 250 sizes in the same diameter range.

Wall thicknesses range from 3 to 50mm. The range of standard sizes means customers can quickly achieve a close match to their stock requirements. Tube is supplied either in random lengths or fixed lengths to 6m, to within tight tolerances.

As well as supplying lengths of tube, Ovako has responded to demand from a growing number of customers for pre-machined or completely finished components either as long or short runs. This service, backed by a substantial investment in flexible manufacturing systems is capable of fast turnaround to reduce customer stockholding, cutting and machining.