Cold forming for high-quality seamless tubes
Cold pilgering is a rolling process for many different materials, such as stainless steel, low-alloy steels, zircaloy, copper, and titanium alloys. The tubes produced stand out from the portfolio of tubes and pipes as they are formed by a special cold forming process. This reduces the diameter and wall thickness and, at the same time, achieves the closest outer diameter and wall-thickness tolerances. Cold pilgered tubes are used in the medical application, chemical, aviation, food, and automotive industries, as well as for OCTG, pure gas applications, and in refrigerators and heat exchangers (Inconel® and Incoloy®).
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Cold Pilger Mills
Enhances Tube Precision and Surface Finish
Main dataCold pilgering is a rolling process for many different materials, such as stainless steel, low-alloy steels, zircaloy, copper, and titanium alloys. The tubes produced stand out from the portfolio of tubes and pipes as they are formed by a special cold forming process. This reduces the diameter and wall thickness and, at the same time, achieves the closest outer diameter and wall-thickness tolerances. Cold pilgered tubes are used in the medical application, chemical, aviation, food, and automotive industries, as well as for OCTG, pure gas applications, and in refrigerators and heat exchangers (Inconel® and Incoloy®).
Continuous operation mode
Size18255075100125Strokes per minute (rpm)350320200170130110Max. hollow diameter (mm)25386489115133Min. hollow diameter (mm)91225384767Min. hollow diameter (mm)1830486480115Min. tube diameter (mm)5814193048Ring die diameter (mm)130205300375450520Stroke length (mm)380490860102120132Pass length (mm)2703706808109801050Max. feed range (mm)5815252424Discontinuous operation mode
Size125180210240290330390Strokes per minute (rpm)110908580757065Max. hollow diameter (mm)133180210245290335390Min. hollow diameter (mm)67100120140160180200Max. tube diameter (mm)115150180210255300300Min. tube diameter (mm)487090105120135150Ring die diameter (mm)520700750800850880950Stroke length (mm)132120120120120130132Pass length (mm)105095095095095010501050Max. rolling force (MN)24303030303030Cold Pilger mills from SMS group are designed for the production of high‑precision tubes across a wide range of metallic materials. They offer exceptional cross‑section reduction per pass, in some cases up to 90 % for copper, while maintaining excellent surface quality and extremely tight dimensional tolerances down to 10 µm. The process forms a defined and homogeneous microstructure and eliminates material loss, reducing the need for intermediate processing steps and increasing overall efficiency.
The portfolio covers various mill sizes, including high‑capacity solutions like the KPW 390 and high‑speed systems such as the KPW 18 LC+. These mills deliver stroke rates from 65 up to 350 strokes per minute, advanced drive and balance systems, long calibers, and features that reduce the risk of roll stand damage. Fast die changes, rear‑loader designs, quick‑release overload protection and stable mill stands ensure maximum uptime and operational safety.
Supporting equipment such as the GG 52 CNC groove grinding machine and the MG 1000 mandrel grinding machine enable repeatable tool geometry, minimal start‑up times and tolerance accuracy of 0.005 mm. Automated operation, easy maintenance, predictable cost, short machining times and long‑term tool competence inside the company complete the solution. Together, these factors make SMS group’s Cold Pilger technology ideal for demanding sectors including automotive, chemical engineering, energy, nuclear applications, medical technology and aerospace.
Benefits
- Produces high-quality seamless tubes
- Enhances tube roundness and surface finish
- Processes difficult materials effectively
- Ensures precision and stability
- Minimizes unplanned downtimes
- Integrates digital solutions for efficiency
- Vital for oil, gas, aerospace, automotive
