Process
Our manufacturing process conforms to certain strict tolerances. The information below is intended as a reference guide for those tolerances, and is chosen from ASTM A513 and A787 and its relation to ERW Carbon Mechanical Tubing manufactured at Imperial Steel Products Ltd.
Outside Diameter Tolerances:
3.000″od – 3.500″od +- .009
3.750″od – 4.000″od +- .010
4.250″od – 6.000″od +-.020
6.250″od – 8.000″od +- .025
8.250″od – 10.000″od +-.030
12.000″od +- .035
12.750″od – 14.000″od +- .040
Inside Flash availability:
Flash in
Flash controlled .010
Flash controlled .005
Straightness:
Under 8.000″od – .030 per every 3′
8.000″ and over – .060 per every 3′
Length Tolerance:
Mill Run – +-.125
Pre coated steel:
G90 Galvanized
T140 Aluminized
Magnelis
Remetalized weld zone:
The outside weld zone on galvanized and aluminized tubing is recoated with an aluminum coating.
Destructive and non-destructive testing:
Both are done in-house during production process. Contact us if you would like more detailed information about our tolerances and overall processes.
Manufacturing Process
Raw material – This is where it all begins for Imperial Steel Products Ltd. Our Just In Time program is established with some raw material suppliers. We also stock close to 1500 tons of coiled steel.
Our plant and engineers and electrical staff give us the capability to design and build our own equipment, which keeps us one step up on our competition.
Prepared coils are loaded onto our continuous steel tube mills, which shape the steel on precision forming rollers. The rotary cutter was designed with a fly cut-off that actually moves with the tube and makes a precision cut to desired length.
The tubes are electrically welded with Thermatool High Frequency welding equipment.
Both destructive and non-destructive testing during the manufacturing process is done to ensure product quality.
Routine inspections also enable us to ensure the strength and quality of the weld. A major part of the pride in service at Imperial Steel comes from our competitive lead times.
Over 54,000 square feet of warehouse space is continually stocked with more than 300,000 feet of quality steel tubing.
Once the orders have been filled, either from inventory or directly from production, they are immediately dispatched for distribution coast-to-coast in Canada, the United States and Australia.
Where Quality is a Tradition
Sustainability
Imperial Steel believes that sustainable development must meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. A green economy supports global prosperity, while preserving and enhancing the planet’s resources.
We respect the environment and want to do our part to minimize our footprint. The raw material that we purchase from steel mills is made with a percentage of recycled material.
When forming our steel from sheets into tubes, the cold forming process requires lubrication of both the metal and the machine. The liquid used to lubricate is collected, filtered and cleaned as part of our internal recycling process. Any organic fluids rated unusable are collected and sent to a local refinery where they can be cleaned and put back into use for other processes.
While generating scrap steel tubing is inevitable, we strive to minimize the amount of scrap generated. The small amount that is generated is sent to a recycling depot where it gets reduced for easy handling and shipped to a steel mill who then recycles the scrap and creates raw material to begin the process over again.
We’ve enjoyed a long relationship with Urbanmine, a local company experienced in metal recycling, to support our efforts of reducing our carbon footprint.