TEC-150 Collaring/branching Machine

T-DRILL TEC-150 Collaring Station

The TEC-150 collaring station is provided with automatic work cycles for cutting the pilot hole and for collaring the pipe. Automatic operations are controlled from an interactive control panel. The entire process from pilot hole milling to collar trimming is carried out in a single workstation.

Benefits:

• Only one welded joint instead of three as with T-fittings
• Joint quality: reduces eventuality of leakage remarkable - better flow - higher reliability
• Less waste material
• No need to invest to fittings
• No cutting of run tube
• Remarkable production cost reductions - up to 80%
• Good corrosion properties
• Ideal with combination with orbital welding

If you want to send an inquiry for a collaring machine through the below link, you can fill in the Tube Specifiaction Sheet underneath and send it to us together with your inquiry.

Tube Specification sheet_US.pdf

Capacity Chart for Maximum Run Tube Wall Thickness in mm
(run tube size on the left and branch size on the top)

TEC-150 Minimum Collaring Distances.pdf

Ball Pull package

Ball pull system is needed on collaring of tubes, where their wall thickness is over the normal collaring capability chart values. When using this system, balls for collaring are needed. Each ball can be used only for one inside diameter (ID) only.

1. Does T-Drill conform to ASME/ANSI code?
2. What about wall thinning?
3. Have burst pressure tests been done?
4. What about work hardening?
5. How does the T-Drill process affect the corrosion resistance of stainless steel?
6. What are the flow characteristics of an extruded outlet?
7. What wall thickness pipe can T-Drill equipment work on?
8. How high a collar can be produced?
9. How close together can outlets be put?
10. Can outlets be produced that are consistent in height?
11. What is the smallest and largest outlet that can be formed?

1. Does T-Drillconform to ASME/ANSI code?

Short Answer : Yes. In all reducing outlets( 2 on 4, 4 on 6, etc.), T-Drill equipment produces outlets that conform to ASME B31.1 and B31.3. Size on size outlets also conform in many commonly used sizes.

Long Answer: Yes. The type of outlets (ie. extruded outlets for butt weld application) produced by T-Drill equipment is specifically discussed in ASME B31.1 and B31.3. Both sections contain the same requirements: root radius > .05(branch OD), collar height > root radius and calculations to determine the allowed pressure. In all reducing outlets( 2 on 4, 4 on 6, etc.), T-Drill equipment produces outlets that conform to ASME B31.1 and B31.3. In size on size applications, the outlet produced occasionally has a root radius that is less than the above requirement . Since the majority of all work is reducing outlets, this is not usually an issue.

2. What about wall thinning?

Short Answer : As in any extrusion process, there is wall thinning. It amounts to only 7-12% in the critical saddle point area. For reducing outlets, the actual wall thickness at any point is more than the critical wall thickness and often equal to or larger than the branch pipe wall.

Long Answer: Analysis for ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code has proven that the most critical area in an extruded outlet is the saddle point. As mentioned above, thinning in the saddle point is only 7-12%. The wall thickness in the stirrup(sidewall) area can be 50% less than the wall thickness in the saddle point and still withstand the same load. In actual practice the limit is fixed usually at 35% by most fitting manufacturers. Even with the worst case scenario, size on size outlets, the maximum wall thinning by the T-Drill process is less than 35% in the stirrup area. Therefore, wall thinning has an insignificant influence on the strength of the connection.

3. Have burst pressure tests been done?

Answer: Yes. We have calculated the allowed pressure using ASME B31.3 for outlets in both schedule 5S and 10S stainless steel. Independent testing done by various US and European companies yield results that verify these calculations: The actual burst pressure is between 6 and 8 times the calculated allowed pressure and usually the same as the undeformed pipe!

4. What about work hardening?

Answer: There is some degree of work hardening that occurs during the cold forming of a collar. The degree depends on the size of the collar relative to the size of the run pipe. Work hardening serves to increase the strength of the collar and is comparable to what occurs during pipe bending. In schedule 40 mild steel, the collar is hot-formed and the resultant grain structure of the collar is actually improved.

5. How does the T-Drill process affect the corrosion resistance of stainless steel?

Answer : As long as the tooling is in good shape and proper lubrication is used, the effect on the corrosion resistance of low carbon stainless steel is negligible. In general, there will be more corrosion/erosion problems resulting from the welded area (of which there are three when using pipe fittings) than the extruded area.

6. What are the flow characteristics of an extruded outlet?

Answer: The flow properties in an extruded outlet are similar to those of a standard tee fitting and superior to those produced by nozzle welding. No sharp corners exist to induce turbulence. It is possible to adjust the ID of the outlet to match the ID of the branch pipe, even better than what is possible with a standard tee fitting, thus minimizing turbulence/erosion at the weld site.
Note: Most pipe system failures occur at weld sites and the use of T-Drill minimizes the number of weld sites.

7. What wall thickness pipe can T-Drill equipment work on?

Answer: Schedule 5 and 10 steel and stainless steel pipe when cold formed. Schedule 40 mild steel pipe can be hot formed. Stainless steel tubing in all standard walls is also acceptable.

8. How high a collar can be produced?

Answer: Depends on the material and the relative size of the branch opening to the run pipe. In general, collar heights average between .200” and .250”.

9. How close together can outlets be put?

Answer: Depends on the machine and the outlet size. In general, the first outlet centerline can be 1-1/2 times the outlet diameter from the end of the pipe and the outlets can be spaced centerline-centerline approximately 1-1/2 diameters apart as the minimum. Depends some on the clamp width.

10. Can outlets be produced that are consistent in height?

Answer: Yes. All machines have a setting that maintains the faced collar height at an operator determined point.

11. What is the smallest and largest outlet that can be formed?

Answer: In general, outlets of 1” OD can be formed in schedule 5 pipe and standard wall tube. Outlets of 1-1/2” OD can be formed in schedule 10 pipe. The largest outlet a standard machine will produce is 8” IPS. The largest outlet produced to date has been 34”.