ProNews_1_06_EN.pdf - Kemppi

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WHAT’S UP
BMW Workshop in the USA:
High-quality aluminium welds
with Kemppi Pro equipment
Training for the welding of aluminium
auto bodies for BMW and Rolls-Royce
using the Kemppi Pro pulse MIG welding
system was conducted for the second
time at BMW’s Montvale facility. The 2005
course was led by Sepp Wolf (EWE) of
Germany’s R & L Furtmayr GmbH.
Because aluminium pulse MIG welding is not
as widely used in the United States as it is in
Europe, new training participants were initially
very sceptical of their assignment to weld
1.2– 4 mm aluminium sheets. By the end of
the course all participants unanimously declared
that the welding programme developed
by Kemppi and BMW was extremely
user-friendly.
A special feature of the programmes designed
for different sheet strengths and applications
is that the user can select a specific
programme for each welding job. The plus/
minus tolerances of the programmes ensure
that welds are not made at too high (cracking)
or too low (joint faults) a temperature.
The programme to be used each time is selected
based on the welding job. The available
programmes are specified in the operation
instructions.
Kemppi Pro’s adaptability is impressive
BMW is one of the most well-known pioneers
in the design of aluminium auto bodies. In
2001 BMW and Rolls-Royce implemented
the use of Kemppi Pro power sources for its
service centres all over the world. Product
development in the automotive industry
is extremely rapid; new materials and applications
are under constant research and
development. One selection criterion was
that Kemppi Pro’s adaptability and the ‘interchange
ability’ of its control panels, offering
the necessary flexibility for the future.
The service centre employees were trained in
the use of the system for the welding of aluminium
sheets on both BMW Z8 Series and
Rolls-Royce auto bodies. Following this training,
a system was instructed in which BMW
personnel in the United States are given an
internal audit every 3–4 years. New employees
are trained in the use of the Kemppi Pro
equipment, while more experienced employees
are retested on the welding of auto
body parts.
Sepp Wolf
R&L Furtmayr GmbH, Unterschleissheim,
Germany
Workshop participants received a
certificate of completion for the course.
Pulse MIG weld seam I-joint 1.2 mm on a
strong AlMg Si 0.5 aluminium sheet.
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All Workshop participants were required
to perform a special weld on a Rolls-
Royce body. The picture shows the
test seam on the front of a Rolls-Royce
body.
Assembly of an auto body at the
training centre.
26 Kemppi ProNews 1 • 2006