The success just does not stop: This year's spring edition of Graebener Group "Update" reported that Reika GmbH & Co KG secured several orders for various tube straightening machines. Over the last six months, the Hagen based company has received four more orders for 10-roll straightening machines. The first of these machines was already delivered to Russia in the beginning of October. A second machine is currently being transported there. The third machine is built for the French market and the fourth is intended for the Chinese market. All four machines were purchased by renowned pipe manufacturers as a replacement of existing machines by other manufacturers.

 

Andreas Zimball, Sales Manager at Reika, explains why these straightening machines are such top sellers at the moment: "Countries such as France and China are investing in nuclear power stations. The duplex stainless steel tubes for heat exchanger systems used for such power stations must be of the highest precision." The stainless steel tubes have a length of up to 30 meters, but the general tube diameter only is up to 25 mm. In order to meet the quality requirements for such extremely sensitive tubes, the machines are equipped with the corresponding technical features to ensure finest accuracy and high precision. "By the way, all Reika machines offer high precision, without any exceptions," vows Zimball.

 

Main features of the roll straightening machines built in Hagen are robust, torsion and vibration resistant steel frame constructions, material saving in- and outlet channels, individual drives for the compensation of the roller wear. The machines also have a completely closed and compact design in order to meet the market's requirements regarding noise levels and environmental protection. In addition to this, Reika has chosen rollers with large diameters for the straightening machines in order to guarantee a low-wear operation. The maintenance free roller carriers are clamped centrally so that a precise angle and height adjustment without any backlash is ensured. The company of the Graebener Group has also focused on optimum maintenance and operation: Thanks to the design, the interior of the machine is easily accessible without any interfering edges.

 

Reika and also the customers firmly believe that this state-of-the-art machine design, which is of course engineered using most modern 3D CAD systems and FEA simulations, eliminates the flaws of comparable products by other competitors. For example, the adjusting and guiding components are protected against scales, dirt and water in order to prevent corrosion and excessive wear. The automatic, self-learning and network-compatible CNC machine control, which ensures an optimum operating comfort and significantly reduces the setup times, is another decisive factor for the customers.

 

For Reika, considering the customers' needs and requirements goes without saying. Zimball: "All our straightening machines aim at surpassing the customers' expectations regarding the highest straightening accuracy." Therefore, the customer can benefit from an increased material throughput.

 

"Our machines ensure a high productivity," promises Zimball. "Especially the significantly increased precision concerning the straightness of the tubes and the elimination of unstraightened tubes provide the customers with an immediate economic advantage so that the return on investment can be achieved within a very short period of time." This promise applies for all kinds of tubes and materials: hot-rolled, drawn, cold-pilgered or longitudinally welded, with low and high levels of material strength.