TPT March 2023

TECHNOLOGY

Using software and digitalisation to help boost welding efficiency and focus

ensured that their machines and workers will always have material available, rather than having to idly wait for pipes to arrive at their station. In addition the software can allocate work orders in a way that will ensure a balanced work load for all welders in the shop. The software makes recommendations as to which parts should be welded together on which machine type and in which sequence in order to optimise further handling times. Another factor is documentation and quality control. If welders have to fill out reports or documentation, the time spent on that is less time they can spend welding. As 3R solutions can generate all reports and documentation digitally, the welder only has to press a button on a console to confirm that the current joint or spool has been completed by him. Since the process is all digital, the information is immediately transferred into the centralised database, which also allows for constant status tracking of each spool. In addition future projects can be planned and budgeted more accurately, because there is a constant update on the actual time spent on welding particular joints. And since the software tracks all information concerning the welder, the WPS, and the used materials, quality control is also improved. In terms of quality control 3R solutions software can also be used to allocate material to different methods of NDT, and offers an application that allows the QA/QC inspector to see the

WHEN it comes to welding, many companies invest time and money finding the best possible solutions to improve the process. From purchasing more powerful machines and systems to continuously improving the skillset of their welders, there are many options that can be considered. A key aspect that is frequently overlooked, however, are factors that happen before and after the actual welding, but which have significant impact on a welder’s efficiency. After all, in many weld shops the actual arc time is only 20 per cent of the welder’s time, often because of these non welding factors. The goal of 3R solutions therefore is not only to improve the welding process itself, but to reduce the incidental tasks that keep welders from focusing on welding. One of the biggest time and cost factors inside a shop is usually handling and logistics. Bottlenecks in cutting and edge preparation may not become apparent at these stations, but will certainly affect the performance of the welders, since they are the ones who have to wait for the material to arrive with them. Likewise a bottleneck in the supply of fittings will impact the work of the fitters, which will then affect the welders. 3R solutions offers both solutions for streamlined logistics and handling inside the shop, as well as software to plan and track all shop activities, including welding. This way shop operators can be

already entered data of each weld and to upload the results of their inspection directly to the database. This makes the automatic generation of inspection and performance reports a quick and convenient process, saving time on another level. Since these reports are also fully digital, the company can move towards a sustainable paperless workshop. In general 3R solutions can offer applications to improve workshop performance across the board. From software to plan, track and document welding processes, to streamlined logistics solutions and sophisticated welding machines, the German company can help shops and welders realise their full potential.

3R solutions GmbH www.3r.de

3R solutions aims to help improve the efficiency of incidental tasks that keep welders from focusing on welding

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MARCH 2023