RathGibson

What began as a family business has grown into a worldwide force in tubing and pipe. At RathGibson, we understand that choosing between welded, welded and drawn, and seamless tubing or pipe can be complex. When making these selections, the quality requirements, such as corrosion, dimensional units and strength drive the selection process.

We are the preferred global solutions provider for precision stainless and specialty alloy tubing products. We serve diverse industries such as power generation, renewable, oil and gas, petrochemical, food and dairy, beverage, pharmaceutical, and general commercial.

At RathGibson, we realize that designing and manufacturing the world's finest tubing and pipe is only half of our mission. The other half is supplying our customers with the product they need when they need it. To that end, RathGibson has implemented a state-of-the-art system that tracks each order from the moment the quote is made through order placement, production, finishing, packaging, shipment and delivery.

Annealing

Annealing is the controlled process of heating and cooling a metal to reduce hardness, remove stress and homogenize the material. Bright annealing produces the proper microstructure and performance. When performed off-line, it is done in a hydrogen atmosphere.

Cleaning

Cleaning is routinely performed to remove lubricant build-up from sizing and straightening.

Final Stage

Cutting and inspection is done in the final stages of mill operations.

Finishing

RathGibson offers a complete range of surface finishes. For more information, please visit the Products page of this site.

Forming

Metal strips are precisely aligned, then roll-formed for uniformity and concentricity.

Hammer Forging

Hammer forging, which results in a high degree of grain refinement, is used for commercial tubing and pipe sizes to produce uniform weld bead dimension and structure.

Packaging for Shipment

Each shipment is labeled with a bar code for identification and proper routing. Should the tubing or pipe possess polished finishes, they will be individually poly-wrapped and shipped in cardboard boxes.

Electropolished grades of tubing and pipe will be polyamide patched, capped and sleeved per specification(s) and shipped in wood boxes. Large quantities of commercial-quality tubing and pipe are shipped in square or hex bundles, while small quantities are shipped in triple-wall cardboard or wood boxes.

Passivation

Exposing the metal to oxygen produces a film of oxide that inhibits corrosion.

Polishing

Mechanical polishing is to 20µ-in Ra (0.5 µm) ID max. and 30µ-in Ra (0.8 µm) OD max. surface. Electropolishing is to 15µ-in Ra (0.4 µm) ID max. and 10µ-in Ra (0.25 µm) OD max. with packaging and cleaning in the ISO Class 5 Cleanroom.

Precision Sizing

To ensure uniform tubing roundness, RathGibson employs precision sizing techniques.

Raw Material Selection

RathGibson raw materials are manufactured to our unique specifications. Supplier selections are made based upon raw material quality as well as reputation and past performance.

Straightening

RathGibson tolerances are routinely better than industry standards [+/-0.030" (0.76 mm) in 3' (0.91 m)].

Testing

Eddy Current Testing is performed in-line at the tube mill as well as post off-line annealing in accordance with ASTM E426.

 Welding

RathGibson employs a number of different welds based upon regulations and customer requirements. Please note that filler material is never used!

• Micro-Welding is performed for a superior weld
• Modern Laser Welding increases productivity and lowers distortions
• TIG Welding is used for precisely blended ID and OD welded surfaces
• Plasma Arc Welding is chosen for its excellent thick section penetration with smaller heat affected zones