Orbital Welding - How is works and Who Uses It
New, Used and Refurbished Orbital Welding Equipment
For Sale and in stock is a vast range of makes and models of Orbital Tube to Tube sheet, Tube welders and Pipe orbital welding machines.
We can also supply Worldwide tuition for any Orbital Welder we supply.
Manufacturers
AMI (Arc Machines Inc)
Polysoude
ESAB
Swagelok
Orbimatic
George Fischer
Trading for over 40 years, Westermans International has built up a huge knowledge of Orbital Welding Equipment which we now stock from our East Midland warehouses.
…You can learn more about these applications below
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Orbital welding systems offer computer controls that store welding schedules in memory. The skills of a certified welder are thus built into the system, enabling the production of enormous numbers of identical welds and leaving little room for error or defects.
Orbital welding first found use in early 1960 when the aerospace industry recognized the need for a superior joining technique for aircraft hydraulic lines. The solution: a mechanism to rotate a welding arc from a tungsten electrode around a tube-weld joint. Regulating weld current with a control system automated the entire process. The result was a more precise, reliable method than manual welding.
Orbital welding became practical for many industries in the early 1980s with the development of portable combination power supply/control systems that operated from 110-V AC. Modern orbital-welding systems offer computer controls that store welding schedules in memory. The skills of a certified welder are thus built into the system, enabling the production of enormous numbers of identical welds and leaving little room for error or defects.
Orbital welding uses the gas-tungsten-arc-welding (GTAW) process as the source of the electric are that melts the base material and forms the weld. During GTAW an electric arc forms between a tungsten electrode and the work piece. To initiate the arc, an RF or high-voltage signal will ionize the shielding gas to generate a path for the weld current. A capacitor dumps current into the arc to reduce are voltage to a point where the power supply can regulate. The power supply responds to the demand and provides current to maintain the arc.
Industries and Applications for Orbital Welding
Thanks to its ability to realise high purity results, orbital welding found its place in the production of clean-room components for the semiconductor industry. Its application has now expanded to the construction of pipework and equipment for diverse industries like food processing, pharmaceuticals, chemical engineering, automotive engineering, biotechnology, shipbuilding and aerospace. Automated orbital TIG welding is also used in the construction of power stations, (thermal power plants). The construction materials used must be able to withstand the enormous mechanical loads produced by the high pressures and temperatures created by the media carried in the tubes. Notches, pores and inclusions in the weld seams must be avoided at all costs, as these create weak points that can lead to subsequent formation of cracks, which in turn can have serious consequences in terms of component failure. This means that tubes are often made from nickel-based materials with walls up to 200mm thick. One manufacturer has developed an orbital narrow gap welding system with hot-wire feed specifically for this purpose, which uses running gear that moves on a guide ring fixed around the tube. This new variant has excited a lot of interest in the sector, with the worldwide boom in power station construction fueling the never-ending search for increasingly productive manufacturing methods using new types of high-temperature steels.
* Aerospace: The aerospace industry was the first to recognize the advantages of automated orbital welding. The high-pressure systems of a single aircraft can contain more than 1,500 welded joints, all automatically created with orbital equipment.
* Boiler tube: Boiler-tube installation and repair offer perfect applications for orbital welding. Compact orbital weld heads can be clamped in place between rows of heat-exchanger tubing.
* Food, dairy and beverage industries: These industries require consistent full-penetration welds on all weld joints. For maximum piping-system efficiency, the tubing and tube welds must be as smooth as possible. Any pit, crevice, crack, or incomplete weld joint can trap the fluid flowing inside the tubing, becoming a harbor for bacteria.
Orbital welding equipment can also be used to manufacture Process Towers, Chemicals Reactors, Silos, Storage Tanks, Heat Exchangers, Pressure Vessels, Boilers, Pipelines, Ovens, Structural Steel, Columns Process , Biodiesel Plants plus much more.
Would you like to talk to our Team?
Maybe you are not sure which welding machine is best for you? Our Sales Team is more than happy to discuss your welding requirements.
With extensive knowledge on ALL makes and models, they can suggest the most suitable machine for your application and budget.
Between Monday and Friday during our working day of 8am – 5pm GMT, we aim to reply to your request within 2 hours of receiving your email.
Remember; we are not restricted to any one brand of Welding Machine.
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Call +44 (0)116 269 6941 or +44 (0)771 1919906 now