A process of electrically welding cold drawing compressed tubing through dies and mandrels leads to the manufacture of DOM steel tube. This process helps improve the uniformity of steel tubes, its properties and its surface finish.
DOM steel tubes can be customized, to meet different requirements. Manufacturers prefer using these steel pipes and tubes as they have more sizes and better dimensional properties to choose from. This makes it possible to use these pipes and tubes in the manufacture of mechanical parts that involve the use of minimal metal machining. The manufacture of DOM tubes starts with slit steel coils of the required width to get the right tube size. This strip is then once again cold formed and put through an electric resistance welder. Thus under pressure, the edges of the tube join together to give it a uniform, tubular shape. Once the weld’s integrity is tested, the pipe or tube is cut and used as per requirements.
There are many benefits to using DOM steel tubes, especially in mechanical applications. The greatest benefit is its cost. It is basically the close tolerances that allow DOM tubes to be cheaply used for mechanical parts. The high strength and yield of these tubes is attributed to the cold drawing step of its manufacturing process. You are ensured of uniformity in the thickness of its inner and outer walls, and the stable features associated with DOM tubes. It is because of all these features that fabricators prefer using DOM steel tubing in their construction. Moreover it has an excellent surface quality where its surfaces are devoid of any scaling. In fact, you will never find any traces of the weld on these steel pipes and tubes.
These steel tubes are comparatively cleaner as they are easily machined and give only nominal stock allowances for clean ups. And with these tubes, you can manufacture different sized tubes with different dimensions just by changing the die and mandrel sizes used in its manufacture. It is because of these many advantages that DOM is the preferred choice in numerous tubing applications. It is highly popular in high stress applications that require better uniformity, strength and soundness in their steel tubes and steel pipes. Examples are motorcycle frames, frames used for the construction of other motor sports vehicles like stock cars and dune buggies and recreational vehicles and also in the manufacture of hydraulic cylinders and auto and truck components. It is because of all this that there is an increased demand for DOM steel tubes and steel pipes in the industrial and automotive market.