TPT March 2024

TUBE WELDING MACHINES & TECHNOLOGY

Automating welding processes in pipe spool pre-fabrication can boost efficiency

should be a means to achieve the actual end goal. This is to achieve an increase in productivity and efficiency. In some cases automation is indeed not feasible, due to costs or technical constraints. That does not, however, mean that automation should be disregarded across the board. Instead, a careful analysis and study of requirements may show that there are significant parts of the process that can be improved by automation for reasonable investment, while the remaining parts continue to be handled conventionally. “Robots destroy jobs” – this argument has also been raised frequently and the concern is understandable. However, especially in spool pre-fabrication, automation is not designed to replace the welder. Instead, it should be seen as an opportunity to bring multiple improvements: • The welder will still be required to supervise the process. His work will be a lot less strenuous, and the risk of work-related injuries can be drastically reduced. • The welder will acquire valuable new skills. These will benefit them in the long term. • The welder will spend less time on activities unrelated to their actual job, such as filling out reports, or waiting for material. “Our production volume is too low” – This argument is another valid point and ties into concerns about budget and pricing. However, automation does not need to involve expensive machinery, robotic systems, or the like. Automation can include minor adjustments in the handling of the pipes and materials,

expensive. However, that does not mean that automation is completely unfeasible. There are several measures that can still be employed: • Orbital welding – allows for the welding of circumferential joints with the workpiece remaining stationary. This permits welding even the most complex spool geometries safely, efficiently and with high quality. Strain on the operator is kept to a minimum. - Mechanised welding automation – it is still possible to weld a large number of joints on mechanised systems, reducing the number of joints that need to be welded manually. The workpiece rotates around its central axis and the torch assembly is stationary (ie one position). • Automating the preparatory work – welding is the final step in spool fabrication. Any improvement in welding processes is futile if the preparation (cutting, edge-preparation and handling) is inefficient. If your welders require 30 minutes for a joint, but your preparation requires 40 minutes, then no improvements in the welding time will have any effect. However, by improving the time required for preparation, you can increase the overall output of a welder, even though they still require the same amount of time to actually weld the joint. “Automation is too expensive” – another common argument, and again a valid concern. As mentioned before, trying to automate the entire fabrication process, for all dimensions and all possible geometries can easily become a herculean task. Automation, however, should be approached with a slightly different mind-set. Instead of seeing automation as the end goal, automation

WHEN it comes to pre-fabrication of pipe-spools, many pipe shops still use conventional manufacturing methods. Despite automation being readily available to increase efficiency, throughput, and quality, most spooling facilities are hesitant to implement such technologies. Workpiece preparation, welding activities and post-weld processes are among the most common candidates for automation. Yet there is still resistance to automation on many levels. This hesitation can have multiple different causes, and while some can be quite valid and understandable, others may become a problem or obstacle. 3R solutions is an expert in the field of pipe shop automation, with more than 40 years of experience and successful projects all over the world. It specialises not only in planning and designing semi automated, automated, and even robotic pipe-shops, but also in coordinating and executing the entire project as a general contractor, including the purchasing, installation and commissioning of the machines, as well as the integration of all relevant equipment with their software framework. Over many years it has seen significant changes and challenges in the field, and is therefore able to address potential arguments against automation, as well as show the benefits of automating the entire welding process. “Automation is only for mass production. All our spools have different shapes” – this is one of the most common concerns, and it is indeed one of the most valid ones. Trying to automate the welding of 2D and 3D spools can be prohibitively complex, and therefore

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MARCH 2024