With our new production video, we are setting another milestone in transparent communication with our customers. It provides exclusive and in-depth insights into our state-of-the-art production and manufacturing processes – clear, precise, and to the point. Experience step by step how our premium steel tubes are created: from the initial processing stage all the way through to the finished product.
With this new video, we provide a clear understanding of each individual step in the process while highlighting our focus on quality, innovation, and technological excellence. Through the use of state-of-the-art production technology and continuous development, we manufacture high-tech seamless pipes that can withstand the toughest conditions day in and day out – that's our world.
Production begins in the raw material warehouse, where the multi-ton billets from our in-house steel mill in Donawitz are cut to the desired input lengths. These billets are then heated in the rotary hearth furnace to temperatures of up to 1,300°C. Next, the still glowing solid blocks are transferred to the cross-roll-piercer, where they are formed into hollow billets using a piercing mandrel. By means of mandrel bars and a series of rolling stands, the hollow billets are rolled into mother tubes in the push bench.
In the stretch reducing mill, the mother tubes are getting deformed to the desired diameter and wall thickness. For hollow sections with square or rectangular cross-sections, an additional pass through the hollow section rolling mill is carried out. In a further step, the tubes reach the cooling bed, where uniform cooling takes place.
Throughout the entire process, precise measuring systems ensure compliance with the tightest tolerances. After hot-rolling, products for the product area Oil & Gas, Renewables, and Industrial Pipes undergo heat treatment. The heat-treated pipes then pass through one of two roller straightening machines, followed by straightness checks and advanced non-destructive testing procedures.
Depending on the application, different finishing steps are applied. For example, the fully automated automotive production line for the automotive industry, or the hollow section finishing line, where our hollow sections are completed. For products in the Oil & Gas sector, threads are cut onto the pipe ends in the threading shop, quality inspections and couplings are made-up.
Finally, the pipes are stamped, marked, and bundled, and prepared for delivery to our customers.
For more insights and impressions, watch the full production process video now!
Discover the individual production steps on our website and learn more about voestalpine Tubulars.
