BW (Butt-Weld) tee production primarily involves hydraulic bulging or hot extrusion to form a T-shape from a steel pipe blank. The process includes raw material cutting, heating/pressing, branch extrusion, trimming, sizing, and heat treatment to ensure uniform wall thickness, followed by beveling and inspectionKey Production Steps
1. Material Selection & Cutting: High-quality steel pipe (carbon or stainless) is cut to specific lengths based on the tee size.
2. Forming Method:
* Hydraulic Bulging (Cold/Warm): A straight pipe blank is placed into a die. Hydraulic cylinders exert pressure on both ends,and liquid inside pushes the branch outlet out, forming the T-shape.
* Hot Extrusion (Hot Forming): The pipe blank is heated to forging temperature, and a die presses the branch outlet while simultaneously forming the main body.
3. Branch Finishing: The branch outlet created in the forming process is trimmed to the correct length.
4. Heat Treatment: To reduce work hardening from the forming process and improve material structure, the tee undergoes heat treatment (annealing or normalizing).
5. Sizing/Shaping: The formed tee is pressed to meet exact dimensional tolerances.
6. Beveling (Butt-Weld End Preparation): Ends are beveled for welding (typically in accordance with ASME/ANSI standards).
7. Final Inspection & Testing: Inspections include visual inspection, dimensional checks, nondestructive testing (NDT) such as dye penetrant or magnetic particle testing to ensure integrity.