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Umbilical Mechanism Required Controlled CNC Turning Capacity
01 Nov 2004
Atlantic Engineering's recently installed Bridgeport XP3 HPD vertical machining centre and CNC lathe proved invaluable during the fabrication of a complicated umbilical mechanism connection that demanded stringent quality requirements for use in the offshore gas industry.
The mechanism was made up of five different components plus a 3.5m long main pipe section, which incorporated an 8º bend, a critical 2º twist, and five sections of 60mm wall thickness pipe. The out of balance created by the 8º bend had to be overcome during final assembly using balance weights to maintain a smooth surface rate of rotation throughout the submerged arc welding of the main flange and pipe section.
Atlantic manufactured the main flange and clamping arrangement from flame cut profiled plate using a combination of traditional and CNC machining.
A floating flange with a spherical seating, clad with Inconel for wear and corrosion resistance was incorporated into the design to allow for misalignment of flange interfaces during clamping operations on the production platform.
On completion, all internal and external surfaces were blasted and all non-contact surfaces were coated with a two part epoxy paint to give the component a 25 year minimum life span.
www.atlanticeng.com
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