- Receipt and sorting of cylinders On receipt each cylinder is assigned a unique identification code and is registered into the system together with our partners’ unique identification code. Once registered, cylinders can be tracked in real-time throughout the entire refurbishing process (when, where, what happened with the cylinder, which operator treated it).
- Shoulder polishing The shoulder of steel cylinders is polished with the help of a special machine. This procedure ensures a more accurate stamping of administrative data on the cylinder.
- Devalving The first step of the devalving process is to check if the valves are in open position (these have previously been opened outside the plant) and if they are operable. Valving is carried out by an automated valving machine.
- Administration During the administration process we record all essential data about the cylinders. We also keep track of the number of times a cylinder has been handled by our plant. All previous interventions are archived in our system. We record the following data:
Manufacturer, serial number, owner, owner’s marking, previous test date, next test date, scrap status - reason for scrapping, empty weight, current weight (the system automatically monitors weight loss and scraps cylinders), standard identification marking, license number, name of gas contained, capacity, manufacturing date (year-month), current age of cylinder, allowed age of cylinder (automatic scrapping where necessary), re-inspection period, working pressure, test pressure, neck threads, tare weight and other weights where necessary.
Stamping Our semi-automatic stamping machine can perform all kinds of stamping on request, including image file logos.
Pressure test The pressure test is the most important stage of the periodic inspection. It determines whether the cylinder continues to meet requirements.
Based on the area of use of the cylinder, pressure testing is divided into two branches. There is one line for testing steel cylinders, and another for testing composite cylinders.
The pressure test is carried out with the help of automatic PLC controlled pressure testing machines, which enable us to document tests.
We inspect the cylinders with hydrostatic pressure tests up to 480 bar.
Pressure test vs Ultrasonic inspection
Drying It is of crucial importance to dry the cylinders after the hydrostatic pressure test. In order to do this we use machines which dry the inside of the cylinders fast at a high temperature. Steel cylinders are dried for 20 minutes at 150°C (for aluminium and composite cylinders the temperature is 60°C). Cylinders which need painting are placed into a 195°C oven for additional 30 minutes.
Our partners are extremely satisfied with the result since the humidity level inside the cylinders is very low.
Shot blasting and painting
Our high performance shot blasting machine entirely removes previous paint, providing a clean surface prior to the application of the new coat of paint. This is extremely important for two reasons:
- Removing the paint reveals all existing damages on the outer surface of the cylinder
- The new coat of paint can be applied only to a roughened surface to ensure a more durable, better quality painting.
- Our painting line uses two types of technology:
- Two components water-based painting
- We apply this technology to cylinders which cannot withstand higher temperatures in the drying oven, namely aluminium, composite and acetylene cylinders.
- Powder painting
- Powder painting is of higher quality than water-based painting, and the end result is a better, more durable coat of paint. However, for this procedure cylinders have to be cured at 195°C.
- Therefore, at present this technology is suitable only for steel cylinders.
The thickness of the paint is minimum 80 microns, but usually it exceeds 100 microns. Manufacturers generally provide a 60 microns thick coat of paint, while a thickness above 120 microns makes the tank suitable for use in heavy sea conditions.
Custom painting –shoulder, logo, name of gas contained, other
- Company logos or other custom paintings give a distinctive appearance to the cylinders. Some of the paint jobs we do are: logos, name of gas contained, stripes, but we can execute almost any type of custom painting.
Custom tags
We can add the following to cylinders:
- Customer’s barcode
- Year tags (next test date is marked)
- Supply label
- Supply label
- Other labels on demand
Tare weighing and placarding
Applying tare weight placards to cylinders facilitates refilling.
Internal cleaning and inspection
In order to guarantee a clean interior, each cylinder undergoes internal cleaning and internal visual inspection prior to the valving procedure.
Valving
Valving is carried out by an automated valving machine. Valving is carried out by a semi-automatic valving machine. We use a special, oxygen compatible PTFE tape as a sealant. We have tested several suppliers and PTFE tapes and found the solution to reduce the number of leaking cylinders to almost zero.
Packaging
In accordance with customer requirements cylinders can be packaged in metal cages, on pallets (shrink-wrapped and fastened with strap) or in case of fewer cylinders, these can be packaged in boxes.
Storage
We have enormous storage capacity both outside and inside available for our customers:
Storage of valves and spare parts
We can supply our customers with valves for their cylinders directly from our valve warehouse on site.
We can also provide storage place for our customers to store the valves supplied by our company and use these valves when needed for inspected cylinders.
New cylinder depot
Our company boasts with the largest high-pressure gas cylinder depot in Central Europe, which enables us to serve our customers promptly with cylinders that are tailored to their needs in our plant.
What is more, we also offer our customers the possibility to store their new cylinders on our site. With the constantly growing length of the delivery time set by cylinder manufacturing plants our customers need to plan their orders way ahead. For a more efficient management of their cylinder stock customers can opt for storing their new cylinders on our site. This allows them to order cylinders without accessories, which will be fitted on our site within a short timeframe.
Storing cylinders awaiting refurbishing
It is often the case that certain cylinders expire but the customer does not need them back immediately, or the periodic inspection doesn’t have to be carried out immediately, or the customer would like other cylinders returned. In such cases we offer our customers the possibility to store these cylinders on our site where they are sorted, and at customer notice the periodic inspection is carried out within a short timeframe. This provides our customers with an extremely flexible management for their cylinder stock, and it also increases storage capacity on their site.
Prior to undergoing any procedures, cylinders need to be identified by our internal software, which allows us to carefully monitor and record their history in our system. All procedures can be retraced at any time. This system, which facilitates traceability, helps us maintain high quality standards and accelerates our professional development.