The production of steel seamless tubes would greatly benefit from a system that could measure the pipewall thickness at an early stage on the production line. An accurate measurement of the wall thickness could be used to improve the manufacturing process, allowing finer control of the final product dimensions. Precise control of the wall thickness is critical in order to provide a high quality product, and to minimise wastage (both in terms of rejected pipes, and the margins needed to maintain a minimum wall thickness).