The small conduit production line is an automated complete equipment system specifically designed for processing small conduits used in tunnel construction support. Its core function is to transform steel pipe raw materials into small conduit products that meet engineering standards through a series of continuous processing procedures. It is widely applied in underground engineering fields such as tunnels, subways, and mines.
Compared with the traditional decentralized processing method, it has three core advantages:
High processing efficiency – enabling continuous operation from raw material feeding to finished product output, significantly reducing the processing time for a single conduit.
High precision – through automated control, errors in key parameters such as diameter, angle, and length are kept within strict industry standards, ensuring reliable support performance.
Low reliance on manual labor – reducing manual operations, lowering labor costs and safety risks, and meeting the automation needs of modern engineering construction.
From the perspective of production line composition, a complete small conduit production line mainly consists of six core units:
Feeding unit – responsible for conveying steel pipe raw materials to the processing stage. Common forms include material racks and feeding roller conveyors, which enable batch feeding.
Cutting unit – performs fixed-length cutting on steel pipes, mostly using CNC cutting technology to ensure smooth cuts and precise lengths.
Drilling unit – processes grouting holes on the side walls of steel pipes, equipped with high-precision drilling equipment. Hole position, diameter, and spacing can be adjusted as required.
Tapering unit – processes one end of the steel pipe into a conical tip to facilitate insertion into surrounding tunnel rock, usually achieved through hydraulic drive.
Conveying unit – connects each processing unit to realize the automatic transfer of workpieces between processes, using chain conveyors, robotic arms, and similar devices.
Control system – uses PLC or CNC systems to centrally control processing parameters and operation status of the entire line, supporting functions such as parameter setting, fault alarms, and production counting.
These six units operate in coordination to form an efficient small conduit processing flow.
Key Technical Points: Core Indicators Affecting Production Line Performance
Machining accuracy
Core measurement criteria include length error, hole diameter error, hole position deviation, and taper angle error. A high-quality fully automatic production line can achieve a length error of ≤±0.3mm, hole diameter error of ≤±0.2mm, hole position deviation of ≤±0.5mm, and taper angle error of ≤±1°. This meets strict support accuracy requirements in projects such as high-speed railway tunnels and metro tunnels.
Processing efficiency
This is usually measured by either the "average daily processing volume of a single production line" or the "processing cycle of a single conduit." It depends on the level of automation, the coordination between units, and the optimization of procedures.
For example, when processing 50mm-diameter conduits, a fully automatic production line can achieve a cycle time of 1–2 minutes per piece, processing 240–480 conduits per day (based on an 8-hour shift). A semi-automatic line requires 3–5 minutes per piece, with an output of only 96–160 conduits per day.
Equipment stability and durability
This depends on the material of core components, structural design of processing units, and performance of lubrication and cooling systems. For example, cutting unit saw blades are made of high-speed steel or hard alloy to extend service life. The main shaft of the punching unit uses high-precision ball bearings for stability. The tapering unit is equipped with an efficient cooling system to reduce mold wear. High-quality production lines typically achieve more than 10,000 hours of trouble-free operation, and the service life of core components (spindles, molds, motors) exceeds three years.
Compatibility and flexibility
This refers to the adaptability of the production line to conduits of different specifications and materials. A high-quality line can process pipes with diameters of 30–150mm and lengths of 0.5–6m, and supports materials such as carbon steel and alloy steel. By changing molds and adjusting parameters, it can quickly switch between different products. In contrast, inefficient lines usually have poor compatibility, being limited to a few specifications. Switching to different products requires major equipment adjustments, making them inflexible and unsuitable for multi-batch, multi-specification processing.