TPi July 2016

Pipe welding

was optimised and adopted to the existing technique. It allows the exact adjustment of the torch above the seam by means of a manual adjustment. The operator can move the torch in four dimensions, adjusting it precisely and with the ideal distance. For this, the operators could rely on their experience, and they quickly found the ideal position on the basis of the appearance of the arc and the seam. Therefore, it is not necessary to re-adjust the torch during the welding process. Since autumn 2015, the first of the three production lines has run with InFocus, with the other two lines to follow. Further modifications on the production lines will be carried out in order to fully benefit from the potential of InFocus, with a target of welding up to 9m per minute. Kjellberg Vertrieb GmbH – Germany vertrieb@kjellberg.de www.kjellberg.de

A four-axis support assists with the adjustment of the ideal torch position

The InFocus process works with a highly concentrated arc

ignition process. Umicore also uses the InFocus technology for welding copper and aluminium pipes. Another advantage is that the data records for different materials and thicknesses can be retrieved from a database, making the operator’s work easier, and ensuring a constant quality of the welding results. In addition to process-related consultancy, Kjellberg provides support with respect to mechanical engineering, ranging from project planning for complete welding workstations to the construction of simple devices. For Umicore, a Kjellberg standard support

A surface-coated titanium zinc pipe leaves the production line

Umicore Bausysteme GmbH – Germany www.vmzinc.de

process has a positive influence on the wear of the electrode. A further supporting factor is the optimised

New generation of welding heads from Italy

flexibility for positioning and electrical and hydraulic connections; reduction in the connecting cables between the power supply unit and the welding unit; improvement and optimisation of internal cooling systems; modularity and interchangeability of inside cards for upgrade or downgrade of output power; and optimisation of the internal layout to facilitate and speed up maintenance activities. Technological and structural innovations have also been implemented in the high and medium frequency generators designed and manufactured for heat treatment by induction. The company also deals with the design of induction heating systems with manual or automatic loading and robotic cells for single element or high production heat treatments.

500kW into 500dm 3 – Termomacchine has developed a new generation of welding heads with small sizes. The company’s technical staff have analysed requests arising directly from customers, from operators and maintenance operators of installations, in addition to the information received from collaboration with manufacturers of forming machines. Counting upon the improvement of the traditional proven reliability in the field, and more than 1,000 installations manufactured in 40 years of activity, the company set a main target to reduce the sizes of both welding head and power supply unit, besides improving the aspects related to maintenance. For welders with power up to 500kW and frequencies up to 400kHz, several modifications have been made. These include a 50 per cent reduction in the volume of the heating heads; a reduction in the volume of the power supply unit, with access from one side and more

Termomacchine Srl – Italy info@termomacchine.com www.termomacchine.com

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July 2016 Tube Products International