Advanced automation drives Orrcon Steel’s tube manufacturing
Innovative technology
The OTO tube mill at Orrcon Steel’s Unanderra facility is a turnkey solution featuring advanced automation at every stage of the process, from coil loading to packaging.
Key innovations include a new loading carriage with integrated burr rotation to maximize productivity and enhance operator safety, a fast and reliable shear welder, a high-quality cut-off, and a robotic packaging system for high performance and flexibility.
The line is designed to produce large structural hollow sections up to 10 inches in diameter, with wall thicknesses up to 10 mm, and production speeds up to 80 meters per minute.
Safer and more efficient manufacturing
The entire tube manufacturing process is enhanced by OTO‑i, a modular digital platform that improves process performance while providing operators with continuous feedback on their daily activities.
OTO‑i also enables advanced automation of the robotic packaging system. The packaging system features three robotic arms that automatically pick up and arrange tubes into square, rectangular, or hexagonal bundles, ready for bundling, warehousing, and dispatch.
“We have preloaded recipes in the automation systems that tell the robots what to do and the size of the tubes. They automatically pick and place the tubes according to the preconfigured bundle arrangement. They are well liked and widely regarded as impressive, high-performing machines,” explains Harlan Peters, Maintenance Manager at Orrcon Steel.
Safety is another major advantage. In addition to reducing manual handling, the automated process ensures repeatability, clean and consistent bundle formation, and lower noise levels.
“Some of our other facilities have older bundling equipment that requires a couple of people to operate. Here, however, the robots generally work with minimal intervention from operational personnel,” adds Brendan McNally, National Manufacturing Manager – Structural Tube at Orrcon Steel.
These benefits demonstrate how advanced automation can deliver measurable improvements in safety, efficiency, and operational performance across modern tube manufacturing operations.
Would you like to see how OTO-i can transform your production line? Visit us at booth #6C11 at Tube Düsseldorf, where we will showcase its full range of capabilities.