T&H Lemont ships the first of two TIG mills

T&H Lemont recently shipped the first of two tube mills to a longtime customer that produces stainless steel pipe. The pipe goes into products it makes for applications such as commercial HVAC, industrial refrigeration, power generation, and industrial processing. Rather than purchase stainless steel pipe from an outside supplier, the customer makes pipe in-house. The durable, robust pipe from its mills supports the company’s reputation for manufacturing equipment that is built to last.

Known for its engineering savvy and manufacturing expertise, the customer needed a new TIG mill to augment its operations, adding this new mill to an already substantial fleet of T&H Lemont machines. The company invested in two mills for making TIG-welded products, T&H Lemont model number WU11M-12. Built to produce diameters from 3/8 to 1.050 inch in wall thicknesses from 0.020 to 0.065 inch, the mill design accommodates three 400-amp welding units and is designed to run at a maximum of 50 feet per minute.

The investment includes entry equipment for continuous operation. A double uncoiler, a shear end welding unit, and an accumulator provide a buffer so production doesn’t stop. It has a six-roll, water-cooled weld box and an inert gas system to protect and cool the weld. Furthermore, a camera-based weld seam tracking unit provides lateral and vertical positioning of the tricathode welding carriage. Each welding torch also has an independent adjustment and the system uses arc voltage control (AVC) for welding parameter stability. The flying cutoff system is a custom unit. It uses a carriage drive system from a T&H Lemont model FCO-125 cutoff system and a rotary cutting head specified by the customer.

Operator conveniences include single-point adjustments on the vertical roll stands and lubrication points on the operator side of the mill. A welding control system, installed within view of the weld box, allowing the operator to observe the welding process while making adjustments on the fly.