many erate eet eed data points to ensure the tool meets eu antes supplies more than 80 percent of the world’s transport fuel needs and nearly 50 percent of its energy req irements, according to Manning Offshore Solutions, Anstralia-based international recruiters for the oil and gg s industry, ‘There are more than 5,000 companies drilling for oil and gas in fertile regions such as the United States, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab E nirates, Venezuela and Nigeria, according to Houston-based Oil Rig Job Intemational. Companies such as Manufacturing Services, Cypres, Texas, and Sobot Tool and Mig. Co., Northbrook, Ill, under: stand technology drives the oil and gas industry, When their tools ar installed in a multimillion nt lar piece of equipm several thousand feet below the ocean sur face, they have to work Manufacturing Services supports the oil patch with a range of tools and compo- nents. When the company needed to source components fora subsea tree ram ufactures, company owner Steve Bailey tapped Caron Tool & Mig. Corp. (Cedarburg, Wis. subsea tre ean consist fas many 2s 362 parts and is used in of 54 Hloumal” Novenber/Decombor 211 shore oi and gas fel to monitor produc tion ofa subsea well. The toe controls the flow of hylrocarbons out of the hole, At tached to the wellhead of finished well, asubsea tree also can manage lids or gas injected into the well. “To fabricate the tools and parts for one involves crazy geomet, tight tolerances and exotic materials,” says Bailey, “Carl son sone ofthe better too and fabrication shops in the country: They are diversified and provide a turkey proces that overs 4 project ffom start to finish, ‘They get things right the fist time.” Carlson has larg tooling and man facturing compeny in North Ameria with an intemational reach. ‘The company’s 104,000. ISO-certifed facilities house services including engineering and design, tooling, gundiling deep hole ding and contact machining for eustemers in oil and gas, energy, heavy equipment, med ical, mining, metals and forging. ‘Subsea treo bon made elose to 30 individual parts for the subsea tree, including some ofits most complex components such as a tubing hangar running tool ‘outer stab, tubing hangar running tool stab sub, slick joint flange and exten- sion sub housing, For a complex tooling job like this ‘one, we employ the engineering expertise andl technological skills of both our east and west plants,” says Randy Sisk, sles en gineer for Carlson. The first step is to source the materia, inthis case steel alloys, and make sure it meets the OEM's chemical ‘and mechanical requirementsOEM specifications are highly detailed, which demands strict scrutiny. The mate- tial is heat treated and a sample sent toa certified laboratory for mechanical testing, Once theslloy has been proven took are machined forasemiinish, milled and, d= pending on the tool, ean receive other processing treatments such as outside di- ameter and inside diameter turing and gundrilling. Electrical dchange machining is used to make small, angled holes. EDM is able to pierce very hard metals while ‘maintaining tight tolerances. A coordinate ‘measuting machine is used to check eral «dimensions and even ean perform reverse ‘engineering for components that do not ‘come with a blueprint: Once processing is ‘complet, the pars ate plated or couted and and gas industry. drop shipped tothe customer, ‘Medium to small los are 'ypical of production, vo tumes for the oil and gas industry because of ail rg ular technology advances. "The industry isahways coming up with something new” says Steve Sobo, president of Sobot ‘Too Since 1968, the company has specialized in manufacturing high-tolerance, preci- sion-engineered and machined product, The company serves primarily the il and sg industry and has 2 30-year work ree tionship with Carlon. Using a range of ‘materials that include titanium, steel, bronze and other exotic metals, Sobot fool can produce complex tooling, com ponents and assemblies as well as develop, prototypes for new technology. Dov-hole drilling “We work together,” says Sobot of Carl son Tol. “IF we evaluate a job an find Carlson uses a specialized CNC cable gundsill deep-hole boring machine on a component of a heat exchanger for the oil its more practical to use Carlson Teo, we turn production over to them, We also tse them for some of our gundhrlling ap plications, They offer a bigger-capacity machine andl are very song in this type cof application.” Originally developed for gun barrels, the method allows the full length of the barrel to be drilled without retracting the tool, In fabrication, the tool drills long, straight, smaller diameter holes in a varity of materials. SelEcentering bits make it possible to maintain @ high degree of ac- curacy when drilling long. holes. A dleptitodiameter ratio of 300:1 ot more is typical depending on the type of tool. ing. Drilling speed depends on the material but is generally performed at high speeds with low feed rates, Carlson also has produced compo- ‘Tooling for an oil and gas Demeter Peery Pot no Ente ttt| etnents for a datalogging tool for both Manufacturing Services and Sobot. The tool is used in down-hole deiling app Made from materials ranging from medium carbon allo to high-chromiumn hhigh-nicke stainless see alloy, the datae logging tool uses magnetic resonance imaging, sound, electrical resistivity and other techniques to gather intelligence about the ground such as the density of, the dit, its porosity and permeability as well as soil chemistry and the possible presence of hydrocarbons, "The fabtica tion process to support this fol involves rough machining, heat treating, me chanical testing and finish machining’ says Sisk, Workload and delivery schedules also sometimes can determine whether or not a job goes to Carlson, “Carlson ‘Tool pro- vides avery good turnaround tie,” says Sobot. “san advantage that helps us de liver parts on time.” Tool & Die Streamlined fabrication ‘The company’s fabrication approach streamlines pats production, which sup- ports quicker response times. “Typically, ‘we discuss each project with a group of people from machining, quality inspec- tion, manufacturing engineering and management,” says Sisk, “The project is then signed off by the plant manager, Ron Klas, before it hits the shop floor. This process helps determine production, scheduling and clarify questions that ean sometimes arise. Due to the critic na tute of the tools we produce, its important to have the right processes in place so that info be quickly analyzed without missing anything” Jobs for the oil and gas industry can range from developing and machining angle head tooling for eompound internal angled holes to producing smart tools that can gather intelligence about a drilled hhole and help an oil company decide ifa site is worth developing ‘The company also has programs to de- tation velop its workforce. “Our abiliy to part- ner with companies is due, in part to our ‘commitment in maintaining personnel with the skills we need from machining, plastic injection molding and cast metals tooling to inspection and engineering, says Sisk. "We have programs in place to train individuals internally from serateh if mecessary These programs also include courarea’s high school” For Manufacturing Services and Sobot, the ability to treat Caron Tool as an ex: tension of their businesses defines a partnership dynamic that can make the difference when it comes to meeting exs- tomer requirements, FF Carlson Tool & Mfg. Corp., Gedarburg, Wis, 26213772020, warlsontoal com, Sobot Tool and Mig. Co, Nowthbrook, I, 847/480-0560, ‘Manufacturing Services, Cypress Texas, 281/250-0606, fn: 832427-6253,