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Mannesmann Process
The primary method for manufacturing seamless tubes, where a heated solid billet is pierced using cross-roll piercing to create a hollow shell, which is then elongated and sized.
Mannesmann Cross-Roll Piercing
Invented by the Mannesmann brothers in 1885, this process remains the foundation of seamless tube production. A heated billet rotates between two barrel-shaped rolls set at an angle, creating a cavity that is opened by a piercing plug to form a hollow shell.
Process Steps
- Billet heating to 1200-1280C
- Cross-roll piercing (Mannesmann mill)
- Elongation (plug mill, mandrel mill, or pilger)
- Sizing/stretch reducing