TPi September 2018

Welding technology

GMAW automated pipe spool welding The Rotoweld is a fully automated pipe welding work cell developed specifically for industrial pipe prefabrication, small pressure vessel manufacturing, or other similar 1G welding. the process to varying conditions such as changes in gap, alignment, root face or temperature.

The robot arm performs the root, fill and cap passes with one welding gun, but the system can still be configured with multiple processes. For example, a thick-walled pipe might require gas metal arc welding (GMAW) for the root pass and submerged arc welding (SAW) for the fill and cap passes. Copier Bevelmachines (CBM) sells the Rotoweld in Europe and the Middle East, and imports the technology straight from the manufacturer in Canada. As a machine manufacturer, CBM focuses on stationary equipment for the pipe fabrication industry. It manufactures and sells pipe bevelling machines, pipe cutting and bevelling machines, pipe end-working machines, CNC pipe machining centres and pipe roll grooving machines. Copier Bevelmachines – Netherlands sales@copierbv.com www.bevelmachines.com

A full-penetration root pass in an open bevel joint represents the epitome of pipe welding skill, and this applies in the fabrication of pipe spools – a subassembly of pipes and fittings welded in pipe shops and then sent into the field. If the welder deposits metal too far above the weld pool, it sinks and cools prematurely, so fusion is incomplete. However, if the arc is kept in front of the weld pool, and at just the right height, hot metal flows toward the root and a full-penetration root pass is obtained. Using the Rotoweld, the operator only needs to monitor the welding process and occasionally make a correction when the system provides a signal. The third iteration of the Rotoweld technology, released in 2014, uses a custom robot to perform 1G girth welds.

It integrates machine vision, adaptive control and robotics technology in a complete dedicated solution that is fast and offers full penetration 1G welding. The system is up to five times faster than SMAW and uses GMAW for the root, the hot pass and the cap. The work cell will process spools from 4" to 42". The Rotoweld welding torch remains still and the pipe spool rotates on the idler rollers. The system can weld pipe-to-pipe and pipe-to-fitting connections, and can weld carbon steel pipes with standard wall in one dia-inch per minute. It is easy to operate and prevents human error in the welding process by its adaptive control. The Rotoweld can completely weld, for example, 12" carbon steel pipe with standard wall in only 12 minutes. The Rotoweld 3.0 welds the root with GMAW and the fill and the cap with GMAW, FCAW or SAW. The operator can choose to work with a single bay or twin bay. The vision-based welding technology enables the operator to control the complete process. The system continuously analyses the image of the root weld pool picked up by a video camera incorporated in the welding arm. Unique algorithms use this information to adjust welding parameters such as travel speed, wire feed rate, arc voltage and weaving width, constantly adapting

Rotoweld 3.0 automated pipe spool welding machine in twin bay configuration

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. 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. not previously be realised when using conventional gas-shielding welding. By completely processing the parts in one machine and fixture, unnecessary transportation is avoided and production times are reduced.

weil technology – Germany info@weil-engineering.com www.weil-engineering.com

This allows a high level of precision and opens up new design opportunities in sheet metal processing.

Laser technology allows the bushings to be welded in positions that could

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September 2018 TUBE PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL