Working on a tight production schedule in their fabrication yard, the customer needed high production rate on-site deep counterbore machining capability for over 12,000 pipes (24,000 ends) for use in both flowline and SCR piping. Pipe series to be worked varied in size from 8" OD to 20" OD. The customer was looking to reduce the fit up time offshore on one of the heaviest wall thickness pipelines laid in the world.
Tri Tool designed and manufactured a portable high-speed counterboring system that utilizes a 7-axis laser alignment off the pipe OD to deliver precision counterbores, rapid cycle times, and superior surface finishes at a customer's yard/facility.
Customer and employee safety was optimized in this system with incoming and outgoing mechanized pipe handling racks that require no manual pipe handling. Cycle times were optimized with laser-assisted pipe end alignment and rapid machining by dual, 7-axis CNC machines equipped with real-time monitoring and the latest safety features. The 7-axis system enabled Tri Tool to properly align the counterbore given the challenge from the thick wall thickness and tolerancing. An average production rate of 140 counterbores per day was achieved, completing the job ahead of schedule.