Confused about which external pipe clamp is the best to purchase for your pipeline welding needs? Tremco Pipeline Equipment has an easy to use cheat sheet to help you find the right pipe clamp for your job.
Through a long-standing partnership of over 20 years, Tremco Pipeline Equipment supplies 12 types of durable and hard-wearing Sawyer Manufacturing external pipe clamps to the Oceania pipeline market. Each is suited to specific applications, including small or large diameter pipe, alignment or reforming, tack or no tack, and clamps with hydraulic or hand lever mechanisms. But how do you know which external pipe clamp is the most suitable for your needs?
To make the process easier, Tremco Pipeline Equipment and Sawyer Manufacturing have teamed up to provide Australian pipeliners with a simple cheat sheet that makes the pipe clamp selection process a breeze.
Download this external pipe clamp quiz here
Pipe under 12 inches, no reforming required
The Sawyer PPA Clamp is a fabrication clamp, perfect for alignment for small diameter thin wall pipes, with quality weld accuracy on pipes up to Schedule 20. These lineup clamps are designed to be compatible with all leading Orbital Welding Heads.
If convenience, speed and versatility are key, Sawyer’s portable Aluminium Alignment Clamp (also called a donut clamp) has a two-piece, light-weight design that allows welders to achieve full 360-degree welding. One person can position the clamp and start welding in about two minutes for most applications and pipe sizes.
For even greater adaptability, Sawyer’s External EZ Clamp can be used and attached to nearly any material, including stainless steel, various alloys and plastics. It easily attaches to align pipes, flanges, elbows, and reducers.
On the other hand, the simple design of the tack-type Qwik Clamp means that no special training is required to operate the clamp and its lightweight body enables the clamp to be used in environments where space is restricted.
Pipe between 12-60 inches, no reforming required
The easy and efficient Hand Lever Cage Clamp has been industry standard for over 50 years. It uses a manual toggle to align pipe through to Schedule 80 and can be used on pipe from 2 inches up. Jack Screw Wedges and Hi-Lo Wedges are optional accessories that give this clamp even greater versatility.
If speed, simplicity and strength are required, Sawyer’s External Ratchet Cage Clamp has a quality, steel ratchet mechanism that provides extra strength to align large diameter pipe. Each clamp is hinged for easy placement on the pipe and is available in a tack or no-tack style.
Or, if you need a pipe clamp with a bit more power, Sawyer’s Hydraulic Cage Clamp pulls tight on with minimal effort, and allows rapid release once welding is complete. The no-tack design of this alignment clamp features arched cross bars for 360-degree welding access without removing the clamp.
Pipe over 48 inches, no reforming required
As the largest clamp on the market, the heavy duty Segmented Hydraulic Clamp allows greater flexibility and enhanced handling of large diameter pipe, featuring a double ring construction with relieved webs and hinged segments. It’s a useful tool for pipe tie-in, take up and relay or anomaly digs.
Reforming required – Chain Clamps
Sawyer’s Chain Clamp is more or less a one-size-fits-all clamp. This clamp can reform pipe up to Schedule 40 and align pipe up to Schedule 80, yet its lightweight construction also makes it an easy-to-use and easy-to-transport external line up clamp.
When more muscle is needed, the Double Chain Clamp is designed for aligning and reforming pipes and vessels as large as 6 metres (20 feet) in diameter and up to Schedule 80. The clamps feature specialised heavy duty jack bars and main blocks to deal with even the most difficult of reforming jobs.
Reforming required – Rim Clamps
Rim Clamps are designed to take on some of the toughest reforming jobs in the pipeline industry. The clamp provides a viable alternative to the Double Chain Clamp for users who prefer an external line up clamp with a rigid shell.
Sawyer’s manual lineup Rim Clamp is designed for use on out-of-round pipes that require a high level of alignment accuracy. The Rim Clamp will reform 45,000 PSI tensile strength pipe up to Schedule 80, with out-of-round conditions up to 2 inches (51 mm) depending on wall thickness.
Much like the Rim Clamp, the Sawyer Ultra Rim Clamp is designed for use on out-of-round pipes requiring a high level of alignment accuracy, but the Ultra Rim Clamp is a heftier pipeline welding clamp than the previous model and is built to align and reform X65, X70, and X80 pipe. It’s capable of reforming pipe with an out-of-round condition of up to 2 inches (51 mm). Multiple jackscrews give the user the ability to apply precise reforming pressure on specific areas of pipe.
Comprehensive line of pipe-to-pipe fit-up pipe clamps
For more information on each of Sawyer Manufacturing’s external pipe clamps included in the cheat sheet above, read Pipe Clamp 101: how to find the best external pipe clamp for your pipeline needs.
If you have any questions about the best pipe clamps for your unique needs, talk to the team at Tremco Pipeline Equipment by emailing sales@tremcopipeline.com.au or call 07 3344 1066.
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