Tubes are part of all kinds of energy and power products. Combustion engines need air intake and exhaust, and usually, need to be cooled with water. Tubes convey those fluids. Whether it’s gasoline, diesel, or natural gas engine, the fuel has to reach the point of combustion. Also, tubes generally take it there. Not everything can be done on an assembly line, however. The need for custom tube fabrications is quite common and prevalent across many industries. We custom bend those tubes, weld flanges on them, make openings for sensors, and form the ends for easy connections to hoses or clamps.
Most people think of engines as providing power for a moving vehicle. But we make parts for huge generators and power installations as well as for vehicle engines. Some of our 6″ OD parts go to massive natural gas generators that can light a town of 12,000 people. Others go in stationary engines for all kinds of interesting energy-industry uses, like powering the drills used in oil and gas exploration — with the unpurified gas that comes up in the well-head.
We’ve made parts for bio-generated distributed power systems. An alternative energy source where a farm uses its animal waste to make electricity. A couple of our customers focus on keeping the drill rigs and service boats working in the Gulf of Mexico with no downtime; they’ve designed some standard connection tubes that will replace almost anything in a pinch. Another customer services the Great Lakes fleet and needs to replicate parts that may have been in service since 1947! We’ve also produced prototypes for a hydrogen engine startup, which would make clean energy 24/7 regardless of the weather, even in remote settings.
It’s a challenge and a lot of fun to work on projects like these, even when the end product is far away in time and space.