The Italian welded steel tube specialist Padana Tubi & Profilati Acciaio has reiterated its trust in tube welding technology from SMS group and ordered a new 16 ¾-inch tube welding line. The new line will be installed at Padana´s Guastalla works in 2020. At the same location a 14-inch tube welding line from SMS group is already in operation producing high-quality products.

With the new line Padana Tubi will increase the product portfolio for round tubes up to 406 millimeter (16 inch) diameter, as well as for square sections up to 350 x 350 millimeters and rectangular sections up to 500 x 200 millimeters. Besides heavy wall thicknesses up to 18 millimeters, the mill will be specially designed to produce high grades up to 700 N/mm². The products are mainly intended to satisfy the demand in the construction and the building sector.

SMS group is the single-source supplier of the complete mill equipment from strip preparation to the cut-off saw, including entry equipment, shear and end welder, horizontal strip accumulator, edge miller, forming, welding and sizing section, and a travelling milling cut-off machine.

The line will be equipped with URD® (Uniform Rigid Design) stands for automatic quick-change of the rolls. The quick-change system is controlled by the X-Pact® Quicksetting system, which sustainably improves the product quality by database-assisted plant settings. These features combined with a maximum mill speed of 45 meters per minute will allow Padana Tubi to achieve a high output and very flexible and efficient production.

With this new investment, Padana Tubi & Profilati Acciaio, established in 1970 in Guastalla, Italy, by the Alfieri family, is going to strengthen its position as a leader in the market for welded tubes and pipes, with more than 1,000,000 tons of steel tubes produced and sold every year.

SMS group will supply the complete mill equipment from entry to cut-off.