Pipe fabrication is manufacturing straight pipes for specific applications with additions like elbows, tees, reduced fittings, and flanges. These pipe components are important to provide a simple or complex piping system. Manufacturers can fabricate predesigned piping systems for irrigation, fire protection, and plumbing. Piping systems are custom-made to accommodate specific environments. Read More…
Leading Manufacturers
Sharpe Products
New Berlin, WI | 800-879-4418Founded in 1990, Sharpe Products is an ISO 9001:2015 certified company specializing in industrial and commercial pipe and tube bending, laser cutting, end-forming or other custom fabrication services. In addition, we offer a robust line of architectural handrail fittings and accessories such as brackets, connectors, disks, end-caps, flanges, newel caps and spheres.
Paumac Tubing, LLC.
Marysville, MI | 810-985-9400Paumac Tubing, LLC provides quality tube bending, end-forming, cutting and welding and works with aluminum, copper and steel. We are a supplier of OEM and Aftermarket Distribution centers. Paumac Tubing provides innovative solutions to our customer’s needs and we are proud to be ISO 9001:2000 certified. Products offered include: commercial tubes, exhaust tubes and structural components.
LaFarge & Egge, Inc.
Lynnwood, WA | 425-778-4123LaFarge & Egge provides high quality precision tube bending and fabrication to 1-1/2" diameter in aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, inconel and steel. Offering flaring, beading, pressure testing, internal swaged fittings and cyro fitting installation. Tubular parts fabricated exactly how you need them.
Lincoln Industries
Lincoln, NE | 402-475-3671Lincoln Industries has been designing and manufacturing tube fabrications since 1952. Our tube fabrications range in diameter size, from 3/8” to 8”. Products we offer include tube bending, beading, expanding, welding, and forming. We are committed to manufacturing high-quality products that are delivered on time.
Advanced Bending Technologies
Langley, BC | 800-563-2363Advanced Bending Technologies is an industry leader in structural bending, pipe bending, low deformation bending and forming of structural steel. We offer a wide range of innovative bending technology with the implementation of new equipment supplying products that are both accurate and unique to industries with architectural applications. Our services result in labor and material cost-savings.
Pipe fabrication is a complex process requiring complete precision to transport materials safely. Pipe fabrication involves multiple processes, including cutting, welding, bevelling, and bending procedures. The quality of pipe fabrication, installation, and layout is critical; it requires proper planning and execution to avoid accidents.
Selecting the Right Material for Pipe Fabrication
Manufacturers and clients are responsible for considering certain factors when selecting pipe materials. Planning should accommodate specific fluid types, internal temperature/pressure, and the environment where the pipe installation will occur. Planning around these factors will help manufacturers choose the best pipe material.
Certain materials are used for manufacturing pipes. Some of these are discussed below:
Standard Steel for Pipe Fabrication
Steel is the most commonly used pipe fabrication material because it’s affordable, long-lasting, resistant, and deformable. Steel will withstand vibrations, impacts, high temperatures, and pressures. Standard steel is easy to bend and cut. To avoid corrosion, the steel should be galvanized during the pipe fabrication process.
P91 Steel for Pipe Fabrication
P91 is an alloy with chromium, molybdenum, and manganese. These additional elements increase P91’s creep resistance, hardness, and corrosion resistance. Excessive heating can damage P91 steel, so it’s advised to use cold machining when fabricating this material. P91 was mostly used in conventional and nuclear thermal power plants.
Duplex Steel in Pipe Fabrication
Duplex steel is a combination of chromium and nickel. It has impressive tensile strength and corrosion resistance making it ideal for saline environments. Pipes used for petroleum, oil, and gas industries are often made of duplex steel. Duplex steel can be difficult to machine; it requires strong machinery with clamps to be fabricated.
Stainless Steel in Pipe Fabrication
Stainless steel is composed of iron, carbon with added chromium, and other elements such as nickel, molybdenum, and titanium. Stainless steel is also corrosion-resistant and functional at high temperatures and pressure. Stainless steel pipes transport corrosive fluids in pharmaceuticals, chemical, and petroleum industries.
Superalloys and Titanium
Most super-alloys are nickel-based alloys with great heat and corrosion resistance. However, they may be more expensive than other materials. These are used in the aeronautical and chemical industries. Titanium is an expensive metal, but it's used in aeronautics because of its lightweight nature.
Aluminum Pipes
Aluminum is a softer, malleable metal that is easy to machine and assemble. Aluminum also provides corrosion resistance at an affordable price. Aluminum pipes are widely used in the aerospace, construction, and transport industries.
Types of Pipe Fabrication
There are three types of pipe fabrication, each serving a different function. Firstly, penstock piping is used to transport municipal water.
Casing piping is used to provide structural support or project wiring. There are two types of casing, vertical and horizontal. The vertical casing is concrete filled to give structural support whereas the horizontal casing is used to protect the underground utility lines.
Piling is a third type of piping primarily used to provide stability to the building’s foundation.
The Pipe Fabrication Process
The material is marked and cut according to the client's requests. Marking is preparation for cutting. The pipes are tagged with numbers through die stamping or printing processes. Next, the material is cut for the pipes. Different cutting methods are used for different types of material used for piping.
The ends of the pipes are prepared through bevelling. The ends are usually fabricated according to specifications. Welding pipe ends should be done with great care so that the seams do not settle in an odd manner. A metal paint marker is used to write details on the pipe, such as the pipeline number or component number. This marker is also used to write the spool number of the pipe. Fabricated pipe spools are heat treated at the site according to the application.
The spools are then inspected using quality guidelines. Defected spools are tagged yellow or black and sent back for repair. Once field inspection is done, all the reports are documented in the approved format. The ready spools are covered with plywood blinds, and the edges are covered with caps to protect the spools.
Applications of Pipes
Pipes are used in almost every industry, such as plumbing, irrigation, gas & oil, water transport, and construction. Therefore, fabricating pipes can vary according to the custom application.
