OREANDA-NEWS. On 15 July 2009 was announced, that Trubodetal (Chelyabinsk), part of United Metallurgical Company (OMK), had received new equipment under the project "Creation of Facilities for the Production of Stamp-Welded T-Branches of 530-1,420 mm in Diameter, Pressures of 1.6-15 Mpa, and Strength Class of up to K65."

In late May, the Company received components for a press P-7848 manufactured by Ryazan-based Tyazhpressmash and a sheet and plate bending machine VRM hy 1600-610 produced by Switzerland-based Haeusler.

The press P-7848 (weight: 700 tonnes) creates a force of 6,300 tonnes, which makes it possible to increase the thickness of walls of the T-branches produced. The press has an automated control system and a withdrawal-roll facility, making it possible to straighten T-branch blanks and form their throats in one operation.

"This unique press was produced specially for Trubodetal," explains automation engineer Aleksandr Bukharin. "We are mastering the production of new products – T-branches with quite sizable wall thicknesses, reaching 100 mm. And the new press was designed for this purpose."

The installation of the press will start this month.

The sheet and plate bending machine VRM-hy 1600-610 is designed for making T-branch blanks out of plates for T-branches with one weld seam. In mid-July, one more Haeusler-produced bending machine (a more powerful VRM-hy 3000-1178) is expected to arrive.

United Metallurgical Company (OMK) is one of Russia's largest producers of pipes, railroad wheels, and other metal products for energy, transport, and industrial companies. OMK comprises six largest enterprises in the metallurgical sector. The OMK Pipe-Rolling Division comprises Vyksa Steel Works (Nizhni Novgorod Region), Almetyevsk Pipe Plant (Republic of Tatarstan), and Trubodetal (Chelyabinsk Region); the OMK Steel Works Division comprises Chusovoy Metallurgical Works and Gubakha Coke (Perm Territory), and Shchelkovo Steel Works (Moscow Region).

In 2007, OMK products accounted for 18% of pipes consumed in Russia, including 34% of large diameter pipes, 62% of railroad wheels, and 75% of automobile springs. In 2007, the OMK enterprises produced 1.8 million tonnes of pipes of various sizes and 820 thousand railroad wheels. The main consumers of OMK products include such leading Russian and foreign companies as Gazprom, Russian Railways, LUKOIL, Transneft, Surgutneftegas, Rosneft, TNK-BP, ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch/Shell, General Electric, and Samsung. OMK supplies its products to 20 countries.