Main image: A Falcon 9 lifts off April 7 from the Kennedy Space Center on the Bandwagon-1 rideshare mission. Credit: SpaceX
The Nikopol company Centravis, which produces seamless stainless steel pipes, has received a special order from Elon Musk's aerospace company SpaceX. The Ukrainian-made pipes will be used for fuel supply in rockets.
For SpaceX, Centravis will supply 28 tons of thick-walled pipes that combine "ductility, hardness, and the ability to withstand extremely high pressure," and can operate in aggressive environments. The products were manufactured in a short time frame (2.5 months) at the facility in Nikopol. They have already been shipped and will soon be available to SpaceX.
The Ukrainian company noted that the order from SpaceX is unusual, as seamless stainless steel pipes of similar diameter and characteristics are not produced in series.
"We managed to convince the client that we would manufacture the pipe on time and that it would meet all of SpaceX's needs. Certainly, our experience in the American market and our successful execution of an order from NASA, specifically the production of a special pipeline that was later used during tests of the new Space Launch System rocket, played a significant role," said Dmytro Kyselenko, sales manager at Centravis Sales America.
"Its advantageous geographic location, combined with a developed product range and Western business standards, has allowed Centravis to occupy a unique position in the global market for seamless stainless steel pipes. Nearly 76% of the products are sold in European Union countries, while the rest are distributed to the CIS market, North America, and the rest of the world," stated on the Centravis website.
It also noted that the company's pipes are used in the automotive industry and nuclear power plants.
Last year, Centravis exported over 99% of its products to 38 countries, including the USA, Germany, and Italy. The company is ranked among the top 10 global manufacturers of seamless stainless steel pipes.
