Mobile pipe cutting station

• US 10,456,876 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2016
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Donald Martin Ulmer, Erik Haakon Ulmer
• Original Assignee: Donald Martin Ulmer, Erik Haakon Ulmer
• Inventors: Ulmer, Erik Haakon, Ulmer, Donald Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Paschall, Mark H
• Application Number:
  US15/348,096
• Publication Number:
  US 20170129059A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• Field of Search: 21912144, 21912148, 21912139, 21912154
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 10/00 Welding or cutting by means of a plasma
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 10/006 Control circuits therefor circuits for plasma torches H05H1/36
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2101/06 Tubes
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2101/10 Pipe-lines
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 37/006 Safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 37/0276 for working on or in tubes B23K37/0211 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 37/0288 Carriages forming part of a cutting unit
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 37/0294 Transport carriages or vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/402 characterised by control arrangements for positioning, e.g. centring a tool relative to a hole in the workpiece, additional detection means to correct position G05B19/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36283 Select, enter machining, cutting conditions, material file, tool file

Abstract

A mobile-unit station dedicated to pipe cutting is provided. The station comprises an intermodal container including: a pipe cutting room comprising a first exterior door for egress to an ambient environment at a first end and an interior door at a second end, respectively, of the pipe cutting room and an at least one portal door for egress to the ambient environment on the first end; a temperature controlled clean room separated from the pipe cutting room with a fireproof wall with the interior door therethrough, the pipe cutting room housing a plurality of components therein including: a monorail extending substantially a length of the pipe cutting room, a powered hoist and a powered trolley moveably mounted on the monorail, a pipe conveyor mounted on a floor and aligned with the monorail to provide a hallway between the first door and the second door, a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) pipe cutter and an at least one dust extraction duct of a dust extraction system proximate the pipe supports, the clean room housing a plurality of components therein including: a CNC pipe cutter control box, a computer for the CNC pipe cutter, a heating and air conditioning unit, and a data management system.

Claims

1. A self-contained mobile pipe-cutting station, the station comprising an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) container including:

a pipe cutting room comprising a first exterior door for egress to an ambient environment at a first end and an interior door at a second end, respectively, of the pipe cutting room and an at least one ISO portal door for egress to the ambient environment on the first end;

a temperature controlled clean room separated from the pipe cutting room with a steel wall with the interior door therethrough, the pipe cutting room housing a plurality of components therein including;

a rail system extending substantially a length of the pipe cutting room, and slidably mounted on a ceiling of the pipe cutting room, a powered hoist and a powered trolley moveably mounted on the rail system, a pipe conveyor mounted on a floor and aligned with the rail system to provide a hallway between the first exterior door and the interior door, a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) pipe cutter and a powered exterior conveyor, the powered exterior conveyor removably housed in the hallway and for locating outside the ISO container, the clean room housing a plurality of components therein including;

a CNC pipe cutter electrical control box which is in electrical communication with the CNC pipe cutter, a computer which is in electronic communication with the CNC pipe cutter and includes a data management system, a heating and air conditioning unit, a dust extraction duct in fluid communication with the pipe cutting room, and a dust and fume collector removably housed in the clean room for locating outside the ISO container and in fluid communication with the dust extraction duct.

2. The station of claim 1, wherein the pipe cutting room further comprises an operable wall extending between the first exterior door and the interior door and located between the hallway and the CNC pipe cutter.

3. The station of claim 2, wherein the rail system is a monorail, the monorail slidably retained by an at least one monorail slider mounted on the ceiling of the pipe cutting room.

4. The station of claim 3, further comprising an opening between the pipe cutting room and the clean room for the monorail to extend into the clean room during storage and transport.

5. The station of claim 4, further comprising a mechanical device mounted in the clean room, in mechanical communication with the monorail and in electrical communication with a motor for urging the monorail into and out of the clean room.

6. The station of claim 5, wherein the mechanical device is a leadscrew.

7. The station of claim 5, wherein the mechanical device is a double drum winch.

8. The station of claim 5, further comprising a power system for electrical communication with any one of a battery, a power grid or a generator.

9. The station of claim 8, further comprising a second exterior door for egress to the ambient environment from the clean room and an at least one exterior ISO portal door at a second end of the container.

10. A method of cutting a pipe with a computer numerical control (CNC) pipe cutter, the method comprising:

loading the pipe to be cut into the self-contained mobile pipe-cutting station of claim 3;

positioning a floating chuck of the CNC pipe cutter on the pipe; and

cutting the pipe under control of the CNC pipe cutter to provide an at least one pipe section.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising removing the at least one pipe section from the pipe conveyor with the powered hoist loaded with the pipe section.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising urging the monorail from the clean room, so as to extend a length of the monorail from the self-contained mobile pipe-cutting station into the ambient.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising removing the pipe section from the self-contained mobile pipe-cutting station to the ambient with the powered trolley on the so extended monorail.

14. A processor driven method of producing pipe sections from a pipe inventory in an on-site, mobile, self contained pipe cutter station, the station comprising an ISO container, a CNC pipe cutter, a computer in electronic communication with the CNC pipe cutter, the computer including a data management system, the method comprising:

designing an at least one pipe section to provide a pipe design;

providing a cutting plan based on the pipe design; and

the CNC pipe cutter cutting an at least one cut in at least one pipe according to the cutting plan wherein all steps are conducted within the on-site, mobile, self contained station.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising managing the pipe inventory.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising identifying the at least one pipe section.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising displaying a three-dimensional graphical representation of the at least one cut in the at least one pipe.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the cutting plan provides for multiple cuts in the at least one pipe.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the cutting plan provides for nesting pipe sections in the at least one pipe.