TPT July 2018

WE LD I NG

Weld heads for thin stainless-steel pipes HX series orbital weld heads from Orbitalum allow pipe elbows to be joined to small stainless steel pipes (for example in heat exchanger construction) with efficiency and reliability.

Orbitalum is now expanding the se- ries to include the HX 12P, which is designed for compact fin heat exchang- ers using pipe diameters from 9.5 to 13.3mm. When performed by hand, the welding of pipe elbows for heat exchanger construction is an exhausting task. In addition, consistently high quality (and the proper sealing of all pipe elbows) on a continual basis by the welder cannot be guaranteed. This can result in expensive correction work and a lot of waste. The automated welding technology of HX orbital weld heads allows pre- The slim HX heads allow the building of compact heat exchangers with high pipe density

The HX 12P features a straight design

Photo credit: Orbitalum Tools GmbH

procedure and initiate the process prior to the start of welding. Working with the Orbitalum system is said to be so easy and reliable that even semi-skilled operators can achieve optimum welding results. Practice has shown that waste can be reduced from 4 per cent to under 0.7 per cent with the Orbitalum system. Another advantage of the system is that an operator can work with multiple weld heads at the same time, which increases production efficiency. The closed welding chamber and consistent process also prevent annealing colouration from occurring, so expensive reworking such as pickling and passivation can usually be dispensed with. In contrast to open welding tongs, all connections for power, gas and cooling water are integrated into the HX head. To facilitate handling, Orbitalum heads are connected to the welding power source with a flexible 7.5m hose. The HX 12P’s straight design enables easy turning of the head at the heat exchanger, and the entire unit can be suspended from a balancer to take the strain off the operator. In addition to the new HX 12P, the series includes the HX 16P for pipe diameters from 15 to 16.8mm, and the HX 22P for 18 to 22mm pipes. Orbitalum Tools GmbH – Germany Email: tools@orbitalum.com Website: www.orbitalum.com

mounted pipe elbows, even those in tight pipe bundles, to be welded reliably and quickly. Thin-walled stainless steel pipes with wall thicknesses of 0.5 to 0.8mm can be processed. It is claimed that preparation time is reduced by around 50 per cent, compared to manual work. The welding time is only around 30 seconds per pipe, and up to 250 welds per head and layer can be made in this way. While conventional heads and tongs require a lot of space between the pipes for positioning, the slim HX heads make it possible to build very compact heat exchangers with a high pipe density. Pipe spacing of less than 40mm is possible. To operate, HX heads are opened up and placed around a pipe, and clamp themselves pneumatically at the push of a button. A stop with coarse and fine adjustment aids secure positioning on the pipe. Following the start-up procedure, the water-cooled head floods with argon gas and welding is carried out automatically. The Orbitalum system ensures clean weld penetration with no recesses, gaps or burrs in the pipe. Clamping and starting are activated by pressing buttons on the weld head. Orbitalum welding power supplies automatically detect the connected HX head and its specified parameters in such a way that the operator only needs to call up the corresponding welding

Photo credit: Orbitalum Tools GmbH

Laser cutting and laser welding in one fixture CUTFUSION is a process, developed especially for weil technology’s FLC (Flexible Laser Cell), that makes it possible to perform both the cutting and welding operations on a component using only one fixture to clamp the part. This allows a high level of precision and opens up new design opportunities in sheet metal processing. All processing steps, such as laser-cutting the hole, positioning the bushing, and welding with the internally developed rotation optic, are carried out in one fixture using the Flexible Laser Cell and CutFusion process. Releasing and re-clamping the part are not required. weil technology – Germany Fax: +49 7631 1809 149 Email: info@weil-engineering.com Website: www.weil-engineering.com

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JULY 2018