Research and application of spiral welded pipe information management system

Production of spiral welded pipe is a complex process that consists of multiple forming and inspecting stations, between different stations there often requires transmission and exchange of information. Traditional manufacturers for spiral welded pipe only have a low level of automation and informatization, production data, inspection data, devices status data and other information are manual recorded by paper reports, consuming lots of manpower and resources. Moreover for some stations, such as X-ray inspection station, there are certain risks of personnel security. In order to solve these problems above, an information management system of spiral welded pipe which bases on technology of PLC and barcode is designed, firstly using barcode technology into production line of steel pipe as the medium of information tracking and management. The corresponding mechanical structure of barcode printing and recognition is designed, multiple mobile scanners and fixed scanners are equipped for different stations. PLCs and PCs control movements of the scanners and mechanical structures through Ethernet, realizing information paperless recording and transmission of spiral welded pipe, greatly improving the automation level of production line.