The safety and reliability of manufactured components is of vital importance in the oil and gas industry. Any malfunction can lead to workplace accidents, environmental catastrophes, and operational disruption.
When it comes to the manufacture of HPHT (High Pressure High Temperature) components, most oil and gas companies adopt a zero-failure integrity policy. As CNC suppliers to the industry, at M-CNC we manufacture subsea engineering components that meet these strict standards.
Zero-failure integrity in the oil and gas sector
In drilling operations, the cost of non-productive time (NPT) can be significantly exacerbated by equipment malfunction. If a valve or manifold fails a mile underwater, the cost of repair is astronomical. Oil and gas companies adopt a zero-failure integrity policy to mitigate the risk of this happening as much as possible. One factor of this is only choosing manufacturing suppliers that guarantee part quality of the highest standards.
At M-CNC, we specialise in manufacturing the tough metals needed for oil and gas components. These aren’t just hard to cut; they have to be machined perfectly to maintain their strength. Our strict machining and quality control measures ensure every oil and gas component we make can survive the extreme pressures and temperatures of subsea and offshore environments.
Tough metal machining specialisation
At M-CNC, we precision engineer tough, industry-critical metals, including super duplex materials and Inconel 718. These extremely tough metals aren’t just hard to cut; they also need to be machined perfectly to maintain their strength and meet zero-failure integrity requirements.
Super duplex materials
This family of high performance stainless steels is very important for oil and gas manufacturing. Key characteristics that make super duplex valuable include:
- Corrosion resistant: Superior resistance to stress corrosion cracking (SCC).
- Heat resistant: High strength and durability even at high temperatures.
- Durable: Excellent resistance to acids, caustic solutions, and harsh operating environments.
The extreme toughness of super duplex materials makes them ideal for the severe conditions of the oil and gas industry. However, this toughness also makes them very difficult to cut and shape.
Inconel 718
This nickel-based superalloy is often used in oil and gas component manufacture for its tough and durable qualities, including:
- Extremely heat resistant: Retains tensile strength in repeated service in temperatures up to 700°C.
- Corrosion resistant: Nickel-chromium composition provides resistance to oxidisation and stress corrosion cracking (SSC).
- Fatigue resistant: Retains its strength and shape even under repeated heat and stress.
Inconel 718 is difficult to machine because it retains its strength at high temperatures and has low thermal conductivity, meaning it work-hardens rapidly.
1. Machining tough metals
At M-CNC, we are able to machine these tough metals to a superior degree of precision, safety, and efficiency. There are several ways we achieve this.
CNC machine selection
We run multi-axis CNC machines that are specifically designed to work on extremely hard materials. As well as 3 and 5-axis, we are also capable of 9-axis machining. This enables us to machine even complex geometries to a huge degree of accuracy, adapting our machines to prolong cutting tool life – and further ensuring tough metals can be worked precisely.
Specialised cutting tooling
Using carbide and ceramic tools – which are able to withstand high machining temperatures and maintain cutting efficiency – allows us to cut Inconel 718 and other tough metals with extreme precision.
EDM machining
Wire EDM (electrical discharge machining) is a very precise 5-axis machining process that uses electrical charges to cut metal, achieving a distortion-free finish. It is particularly effective for machining Inconel 718 because there is no direct contact between the cutting tool and the workpiece. This minimises potential issues with heat generation and tooling wear, enabling us to precisely engineer even complex components accurately.
2. ERP system
We make sure our HPHT components meet zero-failure integrity requirements through full material traceability. We use an ERP system to fully trace the history of all our finished components – right back to the exact batch of raw metal they originated from.
This extensive material traceability assures our oil and gas customers that every part we make for them is of the highest quality. It also attests to our AS9100 Rev D quality standards, meaning our machining processes meet the top tier of quality and our supply chain is fully traceable.
3. First Article Inspection (FAI)
As CNC suppliers to key industries, First Article Inspection (FAI) is one of our most important quality assurance (QA) processes. We use advanced CMMs (Coordinate Measuring Machines) including Aberlink CMM, to verify the first batch of any part we manufacture precisely meets requirements of its CAD design.
FAI helps ensure parts are produced safely and efficiently, quickly identifying any potential issues and saving valuable time and cost in production. This ensures that, when we move onto 24/7 lights-out production, every part we make is a perfect clone of the approved original.
We also generate a First Article Inspection Report (FAIR) that details this entire process, giving every oil and gas part we make an auditable, documented trail of its safety and compliance.
