摘要 |
<p>A plant for the manufacture of pipes of different diameters and lengths in which the pipe is manufactured to order and then shipped to a customer. The plant comprises a pipe-forming machine for each desired pipe diameter which forms pipe from elongate strip of sheet metal. Each such machine is fitted with a cutoff mechanism which shears the manufactured pipe to the desired length. The pipe forming machines are positioned so that the respective pipes are parallel and closely adjacent to each other. Severed pipe is discharged by a retractable pipe holding device onto a sloplng pipe receiving apron which gravitationally rolls the pipe towards a collection point. At the collection point the pipe is discharged onto a stacking cage and/or a suitable transport vehicle such as a railroad car. Control means is operatively coupled with the pipe forming machine, the cutoff means and the pipe holding device so that a single operator can select and sequence the manufacture and discharge of pipe to fill any given customer's order and to optimize pipe stacking and nesting so that the required shipping space for the pipe is minimized.</p> |