Beveling is the process in which we form an angle between the edge of a pipe and a plane perpendicular to the surface to a certain degree, most commonly used to prepare the ends of pipes for welding. Beveling can also be used for deburring the cut tends for safety and aesthetic reasons. We can apply any type of bevel to any degree required. Beveling can be applied to the face of any size or diameter of a pipe.

A standard pipe bevel angle for welding is 37.5 degrees. Other angles and special forms such as J-Bevels can also be produced on the ends of pipe or tube using automatic beveling machines.

Why bevel a pipe?
Beveling of pipe or tubing is most commonly used to prepare the ends for welding. It can also be used for deburring the cut ends for safety and aesthetic reasons.

How to Bevel a Pipe?
There are various ways to bevel a pipe. Using a portable or stationary beveling machines, doing it by a hand grinder, or by a plasma or torch cutter.

The hand grinding method of pipe beveling is the cheapest and the most dangerous method compared to using a pipe beveling machine. It is time-consuming, and a skilled operator is required to perform a bevel on a pipe by a hand grinder. Moreover, it is nearly impossible to keep the bevel quality the same for each pipe operation while creating a lot of mess.

Using a torch or plasma cutter is another type of pipe end preparation machine. It provides faster results compared to a hand grinder, however; it also has some drawbacks. The flat land at the end of the pipe needs to prepared by hand, which is not a safe process. Yet again, the command produced will be inconsistent.

Also, this pipe beveling method cannot be used on all materials, which would affect your flexibility in production.

A portable beveling machine comes in different configurations and is notably safer than the previous two methods. The biggest advantage of these portable machines is that they are portable so that its time-efficient since the user can take the machine to the pipe. They are convenient to use for maintenance work, or on a construction site. However, they are inadequate to meet high production requirements.

How to Choose the Right Beveling Method?

Multiple factors need to be considered before choosing the right method for pipe beveling. The following questions would make this decision easier for you:

Is it possible to bring the tube or pipe to the machinery?
Is the portability/mobility of the machine a must?
What are the specifications and required quality of the bevel?
How much time is obtainable per pipe or command?
What is the skill level required to operate the beveling machine?
However, safety always comes first. No matter what the requirements are, assessing all the potential safety hazards on-site is the prior step to decide on the right method.