Friction welder benefits from oil boom

The Halesowen-based company has won seven new contracts to build friction welding machines for manufacturers of drill rods and heavy duty oil pipes in Europe, America and the Far East. Three of the new machines are the largest in its range and have been specifically chosen for their massive 250 ton forging capabilities. Thompson believes these are the only machines in the world that are capable of friction welding both the smallest and largest sizes of API heavyweight oil pipes. The trio of Model 250 friction welders, bound for factories as far apart as China and North America, will be equipped with special features such as internal or external flash removal and TIR measurement devices. Two will also include automated loading systems featuring KUKA robots. The remaining orders for customers in France, Germany and Sweden are for smaller machines capable of friction welding a wide variety of medium and large diameter drill rods and pipes. “Thompson has been well-placed to take advantage of the surge in demand for drill rods and oil pipes because Thompson friction welding machines have a number of unique features which make them the best for producing this type of component,” explained Nick Edge, Thompson’s sales manager. “They boast extended back stops and special forge clamps which mean they can friction weld an unlimited range of pipe sizes and lengths. These are important benefits for manufacturers who want versatile and reliable equipment to produce components that are more than capable of withstanding the rigours of down hole and rock drilling applications,” he added. The friction welding specialist is hoping to build on its success in the Far East following a successful visit to China’s major machine tool exhibition, CIMT, in Beijing. Thompson’s sales team took a substantial number of enquiries, particularly from component makers in the automotive, aerospace and construction machine sectors.