How seamless tubes are manufactured

The premium steel used to produce seamless tubes by voestalpine Tubulars GmbH & Co KG, based in Kindberg, Austria, originates from voestalpine’s own steel plant.

1. To manufacture Oil Country Tubular Goods, massive steel billets are heated to the forming temperature and formed into shells.
2. These shells are then rolled over a mandrel on the push bench into a mother tube/ hollow.
3. In the stretch reducing mill the tubes get their final customized dimension and wall thickness. At this point the tubes can be up to 150 meters long
4. After cooling the tubes are cut into desired random or fixed lengths.
5. Depending on the end finish and final grade, the tube is then upset and heat-treated, which provides it with the desired mechanical properties. Next, it is furnished with a threaded connection.

Quality is absolutely essential in high-strength Oil Country Tubular Goods. Therefore numerous testing units are installed in between the production steps, such as non-destructive testing, magnetic particle inspection, ultrasonic testing etc., and the final products are accurately inspected before they leave the facility. In addition, voestalpine Tubulars has its own testing facility, including the biggest European sour gas laboratory.