Producing Precision Tubes

Oil & Gas, instrumentation, automotive and aerospace, mechatronics, critical industrial purposes: they are some of the main sectors in which ZM stainless steel tubes are used. A brand with 100% forty years of “Swiss made” expertise

From a handcrafted production of art ironworks founded in 1881 by Louis Zwahlen, a lot of work has been done: today Zwahlen & Mayr is one of the primary contributors to the international industry in production of stainless steel tubes welded, seamless and precision redrawn. Since 1979, the company has been among the leading producers of welded stainless steel and nickel alloy tubes under the brand ZM Tubes. These tubes are 100% Swiss Made, and they are manufactured in Aigle, close to Lake Geneva. In 2012 ZM Tubes was acquired by Italian Cimolai Group, based in Pordenone, worldwide leader in metal constructions (few examples are Mose in Venice, Medioapadana Railway station in Reggio Emilia). Situated in the heart of Europe, logistically perfect to serve main European industrial areas, ZM is always ready to meet the innovative challenges of the market, thanks to continuous investment in machines and staff training.

A rich offer of tubes, seamless included

ZM Tubes manufactures now four types of stainless steel tubes: standard welded, seamless, welded-redrawn and seamless redrawn for high precision applications. An absolute novelty at ZM is that since last February the production of seamless stainless tubes, both standard and redrawn, has also begun. This new line of seamless tubes is part of a dedicated investment program, and it will allow the company to offer the complete range required by the market.

Constant mechanical parameters and narrow dimensional tolerances

Thanks to forty years of “Swiss made” expertise, using skilled staff and continually investing in technological and solution improvements, ZM Tubes have managed to maintain its position at the highest level of redrawn precision technology. The mission is to produce state-of-the-art precision tubes, satisfying customer needs and developing worldwide long- term partnerships. Precision redrawn stainless steel tubes (welded and seamless) guarantees constant mechanical parameters and much more. These tubes then go through a special redrawing process in order to achieve extreme precise characteristics as: narrow dimensional tolerances; ultra smooth surface with specific roughness outside and inside; specific mechanical values; very short tubes (min. 4 mm – 0.157 inch). Outside surface tubes are supplied with different finish such as BA – bright annealed or polished. Among the main target sectors there are: automotive and aerospace, mechatronics, pneumatic, Oil & Gas, instrumentation, several critical industrial purposes, pharma, food and chemical industry. The ZM tubes are also used in a wide range of applications such as heat exchangers, condensers, evaporators, feed water heaters for power plants and so on.