Strongsville, Ohio, USA, February 18, 2019 – Rafter Equipment Corporation has shipped an RT-4000 HFI weld squeeze box to a major North American DOM tube producer. The new 4-roll design continues with the company’s preference for “dead spindle” weld roll shafts whereby the bearings are pressed within the roll tools. This unit replaces an old 4-roll design that had “live” spindles for the two lower rolls. The bearings for these spindles had become very expensive and time consuming to replace. Having the bearings now in the rolls allows for frequent inspection and easy replacement when necessary.
RT-4000 HFI Weld Squeeze Box (4-Roll)
The new design includes a removable faceplate assembly that allows for offline changeover of the roll tools while laying the assembly flat in a horizontal orientation. This method is much easier than on the mill in an upright or vertical orientation. Powered shot pins secure the faceplate assembly and allow for a quick engagement without the use of hand tools.
In addition, all roll adjustments are accessible from the operator’s side of the machine. The heavy-duty construction will accomodate tubes up to 3.500″ OD x 0.300″ wall thickness x 75 KSI material yield strength.