Industrial pipe painting: the Movingfluid system

In this article:

• An innovation-driven decision-making process
• A complete, precise and 100% automated line 
• The tangible benefits of a highly innovative solution
• Thinking outside the box to solve even the most improbable mishaps

Movingfluid builds first industrial painting system for sleeves: a real success

This is the story of an enlightened company. We cannot reveal its name for reasons of confidentiality, but suffice it to say that it is an international leader in the production and supply of pipes and OCTG (Oil Country Tubular Goods) for the Oil&Gas industry.

One of those giants that looks beyond mere profit and chooses to invest in innovation, with courage and foresight, in order to avoid possible future mishaps. Like when they contacted us to set up a fully automatic painting line: an activity that had to be upgraded to protect the safety of the workers involved in manual operations and thus avoid the risk of any production stoppages. 

The challenge was not an easy one (but then again, ours almost never are!), yet within less than a year of commissioning we managed to design a fully automated sleeve painting line from scratch and commission it. 

A new solution for the market, which we were able to optimise to the specific needs of the company (which, indeed, is already considering implementing it in all its plants). But let us take things in order.      

An innovation-driven decision-making process  

Not all problems arise from a critical situation, sometimes they are just unexpected consequences of a positive development process. In this specific case, it stemmed from the development of a replacement product for the grease commonly used to paint marine pipe sleeves.

As a matter of fact, conventional anti-seize poses several ecological, economic and logistical difficulties, as it must be distributed while joining tubular segments, often in uncomfortable conditions.

Difficulties that have been overcome with the in-house creation of a new paint (the recipe for which is secret), which not only effectively prevents work piece seizure, but also has the advantage that it can be applied without additional processes at the end customer’s expense.

Here is an overview of some of the main advantages of this new paint: 

1. Minimal risk: the paint application space is cleaner and safer. This significantly reduces the environmental impact during laying; 
2. Zero waste: this special paint limits the occurrence of problems during application, increasing the reliability of the installation. Rejections (which usually amount to 1.5%) are drastically reduced; 
3. Saving of 10% on total cost: based on customer experience, it is estimated that the use of this paint generates a saving of 10% on the total cost of the pipes, due to the increased efficiency of drilling time; 
4. 25% reduction in installation time: again, based on customer feedback, it is estimated that installation time is reduced by up to 25% through the application of this new paint. 

However, while this substance provides greater organisational efficiency, it has a high degree of toxicity, which exposes operators to health and safety risks, thus throwing the entire production line into regulatory uncertainty. A prospect that had to be resolved quickly. 

Turning back was not a viable option. The only way was to continue along the path of innovation and rethink the entire sleeve painting system. It was necessary, in other words, to replace human action and automate the entire processing, from loading to the exit conveyor. 

A complete, precise and 100% automated line     

Not everyone can manage to take up such major challenges. And indeed, of the five companies contacted for the tender, only Movingfluid turned out to be convincing. Thus, starting with the initial specification, we developed a novel solution which safeguards personnel while ensuring precise and uniform application on all types of sleeves.

The complexity lies in the system ability to process work pieces with an extensive range of diameters (and weights) – from 2.⅜” to 24″ – according to recipes measured to the millimetre and in compliance with all thermal parameters.

Temperature management within the system is indeed one of the key factors in ensuring that the anti-seize painting retains all its mechanical properties.

How did we do it? Combining 4 different workstations in one line:  

1. Loading and unloading station; 
2. Washing station; 
3. Painting station; 
4. Curing oven. 

A fully automated system even in handling, entrusted to two ABB robots mounted on 2 m pedestals which pick up the work pieces, move them from one station to another and load them into the conveyors to be packed.  

Here is how each machine works in detail.  

1. Loading and unloading station: robot picking  

The first location is the loading and unloading area, which in turn is divided into 3 zones: 

1. Area for blanks; 
2. Zone for finished products; 
3. Area for waste. 

Automatic process control procedures determine in which zone each work piece must be positioned to be subjected to any quality checks by the operator.

The picking of blanks is done via an advanced vision system, which is built into the picking robot. A pre-condition is that the parts are loaded manually by the operator, which means that the sleeves are never in the same position. And this is precisely where the machine vision system comes into play, thanks to which, from time to time, the most convenient sleeve to pick up is identified in real time, thus avoiding collisions, tipping and other inefficiencies.

With regard to palletising, i.e. the loading zone for finished products and scrap, an algorithm was developed to automatically generate a positioning pattern based on the diameter and height of the sleeve.

Due to the wide range of products to be processed, several handling tools, were designed to handle the various dimensional groups. In particular, for smaller diameters, a special gripper is used that picks up the unfinished sleeves from the inside and deposits the finished parts from the outside, so as to avoid contact with the inner treated surface. 

2. Washing station: washing machine  

The second post consists of a finishing application that must guarantee specific mechanical and chemical performance: it is therefore not only a question of achieving a certain standard of quality and aesthetics, but we are dealing with a very delicate preparation phase, which therefore requires special accuracy. 

This is why a washing station was developed to guarantee an optimal result: perfectly clean and completely dry work-pieces. This area, built into the automatic line, can meet the cycle times and productivity required by the customer’s specifications. 

In addition to the functional requirements, there was also the limited availability of space: in this regard, the solution implemented (a machine with several stations arranged radially, served by a rotary table capable of transferring parts between the various areas) represents a true concentrate of optimised engineering. 

3. Painting station: application  

Painting is per se a very complex process, even more so when it involves the inner surface of cylinders of varying diameters. This problem was addressed and solved with an innovative approach, based on high performance turbines and a radial atomisation system. 

The solution developed has also proved to be extremely effective and promising for numerous other industrial applications. 

4. Curing oven

Very common in the sectors in which our Mishap-solvers operate (such as Automotive and Tissue Converting), the IR oven is, however, new to the metal industry. Yet the advantages are significant: it transforms energy into heat and transmits it directly to the work piece, without unnecessary dispersion into the environment. It also allows for accurate temperature modulation, which is constantly recorded by thermal imaging cameras for further control.  

In our case, the heart of the line is precisely the curing oven, which is spread over 25 stations (18 of which are heated by IR lamps) and whose process requires very precise temperature curves. 

To ensure that the temperature curves adapt to the highly variable environmental conditions, integrated thermal cameras come into action in real time to adjust the IR lamps in case of deviation from the desired values. 

In addition to the process solutions, the oven incorporates original and customised mechanisms for the translation and rotation of pieces, which are necessary to ensure uniform irradiation: the IR lamp must heat the entire surface of the sleeve homogeneously.

The tangible benefits of a highly innovative solution   

Despite being a pilot system, the line developed by Movingfluid offers numerous immediate benefits.

The first concerns the safety of the operators who, with this solution, only have to deal with setting up the machine, thus avoiding any possible contact with the substances needed to treat the sleeves. Operator safety was also the focus of careful consideration during the design phase, including any need for inspection and access to the operational area.

Thanks to the collaboration with Automation Tech, a partner operating in the field of electrical installations and industrial automation and specialised in machine safety and CE documentation, we were able to envision the main risk scenarios and activate advanced safety measures.

Maximum customisation and pinpoint accuracy also guided us when it came to integrating the system operation software (level 1) with internal traceability software (level 2). An activity that required sophisticated optimisations to ensure the correct passage of information and instructions from one system to another and to allow the customer to carry out periodic production checks without creating slowdowns and bottlenecks.

The result is a line that works smoothly accurately and that is perfectly adapted to the specific context.

But when it comes to innovation, a question arises: what about maintenance? The answer, in this case is: it is not a problem. The system is innovative in terms of design and construction, but uses established mechanics and technologies that meet industry standards and are made by reliable and experienced suppliers. Therefore, any repair or replacement needs can be resolved quickly and without hindrance.  

Thinking outside the box to solve even the most improbable mishaps   

What sets each of our projects apart is not only our ability to solve the challenges of the large or small companies that come to us, but also to do so thanks to a distinctive approach, which characterises our entire team of technicians and collaborators – a cross-sectional vision or, to put it another way, the ability to think out of the conventional box.

A clear proof of this was the intuition to introduce the IR oven within a sector in which it was not usually used.

To us, the starting point is always the problem: it is from here that our professional Mishap-solvers start to imagine and identify the best solutions, even disrupting the usual logic.  

Movingfluid’s innovative and visionary approach, inevitable in a pioneering case such as this, also served to discard less performing assumptions to achieve the highest level of satisfaction and efficiency.

So, we were able to complete the project, deliver the machines, install them and test them (making the necessary modifications) in just 8 months, taking a major step towards automation jointly with the company.

The next few weeks will be focused on studying and implementing further technical refinements because yes, we like to outdo ourselves.   

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