EuroWire September 2021

Photo: Chan Lee • www.unsplash.com

Reducing operating costs with energy-efficient cold welders

Specialist cold welding equipment manufacturer PWM has been supplying the global wire and cable industry with machines and dies for more than three decades. Products are designed and made in- house in the UK by the company’s team of skilled engineers and tested to stringent standards to ensure accuracy. Since it was established in 1984, PWM has continuously expanded its range of cold welding equipment, to keep pace with the changing needs of wire and cable manufacturers. The priority has been to develop durable, low-maintenance, user-friendly machines that produce reliable welds that are stronger than the parent material. The current product portfolio includes handheld manual machines for fine wire from 0.1mm diameter; robust manual and powered models for wire sizes from 0.3 to 6.5mm that can be used on a workbench or a trolley; and large, free-standing rod welders capable of bonding material up to 30mm diameter. The manually operated machines do not require external power, and the hydraulic

and electro/hydraulic rod welding machines are energy efficient, clean, quiet and safe to operate. The P1500 model – the largest machine in the range – can weld 25mm copper and 30mm aluminium. Powered by three hydraulic pumps, it requires only a small current to drive the 11kw pump motor. The pneumatic EP500 model, for rod from 5 to 15mm, can be connected to either a central air supply or a dedicated compressor. Only the control system, which the

▲ PWM’s P1500 rod welder can weld material up to 30mm

operator uses to set the weld parameters, requires a single-phase electrical supply. Recent innovations include a cold welder for joining strip. The ST40 air/hydraulic machine, available with either a horizontal or vertical welding head to suit different applications, can weld non-ferrous material up to a maximumwidth of 45mm and a minimum thickness of 0.2mm, depending on material properties. PWM specialises in custom-made dies, which can be made for round wire or profile, including complex trapezoidal and Z wire profiles used in the build-

up of subsea cables. These can now be produced for sizes across the range of PWM’s manual M101 and air/hydraulic HP100 and HP200 cold welding machines up to 33mm 2 , and up to 170mm 2 on the EP500 electro/pneumatic rod welder. Industry standard dies are produced for wire sizes between 0.08 and 6.35mm. PWM can also make dies to weld two different sizes of material, enabling manufacturers to join different wire sizes together quickly when changing spools. PWM Ltd www.pwmltd.co.uk

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September 2021