mechanised and orbital tig

Application HandbookMECHANISED AND ORBITAL TIGXA00131620

Limitless possibilitiesWelding two tubes ofdifferent sizes is easily carriedout using fillet welds.Boiler tubes are oftenwelded using AVC andweaving.Copper nickel is a sensitivealloy and is difficult to weldmanuallyJointed tubes of varyingquality, such as low-alloy steelas opposed to stainless teel.Heavy wall thickness to amaximum of 80 mm in low-alloy,stainless, duplex or super-duplexsteel can be welded with ESAB’sNarrow Gap TIG.Quality meets qualityYou can weld the tube to theinside of a plate using an A22inner welding torch and avoidcrevice corrosionWhen welding Titanium youcan choose from our enclosedor open heads with trailingshoe, to provide a better gasshield.Our welding heads are ideal forwelding thin or thick stainlesssteel tubes.The T-component welded byupsetting the main tube is agood and simple optionUsing the A22 tube-totubesheet welding head, youcan weld all types of tubegeometry; flush, recessed,extended or protruding from thesheet.

Segment: Food, beverage and dairyTypical applications:• Treatment, conditioning or storing of food and mineralwater processing• Typical material is Stainless steel 304 and 316LAdvantages / Why Orbital TIG• Orbital TIG is well suited to meet the more and morestringent hygiene requirements• The indisputable choice for production of distributionlinks between the different stages of food processing,both as sterilisation lines and cooling lines.ESAB equipment Typical heads Typical tube OD Typical thickness• Aristo MechTig C2002i PRH, PRB, PRD 160 6.0 - 220 mm 0.8 - 2.5 mm• MechControl 2 + Aristo MechTig 4000i PRH, PRB, PRD 160 6.0 - 220 mm 0.8 - 3.0 mm• MechControl 4 + Aristo MechTig 4000i PRH, PRB, PRD 100 6.0 - 220 mm 0.8 - 3.0 mmPRD 160Segment: Chemical industryTypical applications:• Tube-to-tube and tube-to-fitting welding inchemical plants.• Pre-fabrication of components• Typical material is Stainless steel 304 and 316LAdvantages / Why Orbital TIG• The automatic tube welding machines weldperfectly in confined spaces.ESAB equipment Typical heads Typical tube OD Typical thickness• Aristo MechTig C2002i PRB, PRD 160 50 - 1000 mm 2.0 - 2.5 mm• MechControl 2 + Aristo MechTig 4000i PRB, PRD 160 50 - 1000 mm 2.0 - 5.0 mm• MechControl 4 + Aristo MechTig 4000i PRB, PRC, PRD 100 50 - 1000 mm 2.0 - 5.0 mmPRD 160

Segment: Pharmaceutical / biochemistryTypical applications:• Pharmaceutical products, which require strict andregulated handling.• Typical material is Stainless steel 304 and 316LAdvantages / Why Orbital TIG• Quality considerations are extremely critical as theseproducts can be affected by cross contamination,microbial growth, efficacy issues and external sources.• A precision orbital welding equipment can meet thesestringent demands and the welding result can beachieved by using closed chamber-welding heads andproviding an optimum weld head protection duringwelding.ESAB equipment Typical heads Typical tube OD Typical thickness• Aristo MechTig C2002i PRH, PRB, PRD 160 6.0 - 220 mm 0.8 - 2.5 mm• MechControl 2 + Aristo MechTig 4000i PRH, PRB, PRD 160 6.0 - 220 mm 0.8 - 3.0 mm• MechControl 4 + Aristo MechTig 4000i PRH, PRB, PRD 100 6.0 - 220 mm 0.8 - 3.0 mmPRD 160Segment: Power generation / BoilerTypical applications:• Steam generators and waste heat boiler fabrication.– Production of coiled pipes– Welding of return bends to finned tubes– Tube or collector welding– High pressure preheating units– Endless tube fabrication etc.• Typical material is Cr-Mo, carbon steelAdvantages / Why Orbital TIG• The use of Orbital TIG will increase the productivity(up to 50%) compared to other methods, even underrestricted accessibility• A constant ISO documented quality.ESAB equipment Typical heads Typical tube OD Typical thickness• MechControl 2 + Aristo MechTig 4000i PRB, PRD 160 25 - 1000 mm 2.5 - 5.0 mm• MechControl 4 + Aristo MechTig 4000i PRB, PRC, PRD 100 25 - 1000 mm 2.5 - 5.0 mmPRD 160

Segment: ShipbuildingTypical applications:• Cooling lines for ship motors• Tubing systems for loading/unloading of liquid orgaseous media to be transported in LNG tankers• Typical material is stainless-carbon steel, Cu-NiAdvantages / Why Orbital TIG• The highly corrosive seawater is generally transportedin tubes of special Copper/Nickel alloys.• High quality weldingESAB equipment Typical heads Typical tube OD Typical thickness• Aristo MechTig C2002i PRB, PRD 160 25-168 mm 2.0-2.5 mm• MechControl 2 + Aristo MechTig 4000i PRB, PRD 160 25-168 mm 2.0-5 mm• MechControl 4 + Aristo MechTig 4000i PRB, PRC, PRD100 & 160 25-168 mm 2.0-10 mmSegment: Oil and Gas / OffshoreTypical applications:• Welding of high nickel content alloy tube and piping.• Pipelines transporting highly corrosive materials.• LAY barge pipe welding of offshore pipelines.• High-pressure oil refinery piping• Tube fabrication• Repair & maintenance of boilers and pressure vessels• Typical material is Carbon steel and DuplexAdvantages / Why Orbital TIG• High quality weldingESAB equipment Typical heads Typical tube OD Typical thickness• MechControl 2 + Aristo MechTig 4000i PRB, PRD 160 25 - 1000 mm 1.6 - 5 mm• MechControl 4 + Aristo MechTig 4000i PRB, PRC, PRD 100 25 - 1000 mm 1.6 - 50 mmPRD 160

Segment: NuclearTypical applications:• Repair and maintenance– High pressure piping repair– Steam generator replacement– Valve seat cladding– Chrome-under pipe cladding etc.• The current trend is for plants to outsource repair andmaintenance to specialist contractors• Typical material is stainless steel 347Advantages / Why Orbital TIG• High quality weldsESAB equipment Typical heads Typical tube OD Typical thickness• MechControl 4 + Aristo MechTig 4000i PRB, PRC, PRD 100 25 - 508 mm 2.0 - 25 mmPRD 160Segment: AerospaceTypical applications:• Joints in the cramped quarters of modern flighttransports, like planes and shuttles• Joining of Titanium and Aluminium tubes• Automated repair of turbine components• Typical material is Stainless steel, Titanium andAluminiumAdvantages / Why Orbital TIG• The risk for human lives in case of a failure of criticalapplications, forces the use of precision orbital weldingtooling.ESAB equipment Typical heads Typical tube OD Typical thickness• Aristo MechTig C2002i PRH, PRB 6.0 - 50 mm 0.5 - 2.0 mm• MechControl 2 + Aristo MechTig 4000i PRH, PRB 6.0 - 50 mm 0.5 - 2.0 mm• MechControl 4 + Aristo MechTig 4000i PRH, PRB 6.0 - 50 mm 0.5 - 2.0 mm

Segment: SemiconductorsTypical applications:• Joining of high purity tubing in the construction ofsemi-conductor chip manufacturing facilities.• Typical material is Stainless steel 304 and 316LAdvantages / Why Orbital TIG• High demands for purity in the chip manufacturingprocess.• Specialised orbital welding systems for welding in aclean room environment without generatingunacceptable levels of particles.ESAB equipment Typical heads Typical tube OD Typical thickness• Aristo MechTig C2002i PRH 6.0 - 25 mm 0.5 - 2.0 mm• MechControl 2 + Aristo MechTig 4000i PRH 6.0 - 25 mm 0.5 - 2.0 mm

CASE STORYWelding of heat exchangers at the chemical plant Azomures in RomaniaHastalloy C276, Tube ID-27 mmDescriptionAzomures used to buy heat exchangersand then produce by themselves. Thisresulted in lots of repairs due to hotcracking.By investing in a Mechanised TIGequipment from ESAB they are nowproducing heat exchangers on site. Theyhave increased the quality and reduced theproduction time!There are mainly four different ways ofwelding tube-to-tube sheets. Theapplication used here is where the tube isapplied at the back of the tube sheet. Thetool was made to weld internally at the backof the 300 mm tube sheet. The internal tubediameter is 26.7 mm and the wall thicknessincluding the backing that needed to bemelted is 2.9 mm.Contents• ESAB power source, designed for tube-to-tubejoining. The whole process can be controlled withthis programmable power source and the programscan be stored in the internal memory.• POC welding head fitted with PIB 20-30 internalbore welding torch.• PRB 17-49 and PRB 33-90 welding heads(covering tube dimensions between 17-49 and 3.90mm outer diameter).• MEI 21 wire feed unit.Advantages• Economy: the price for new pipes and the equipmentwas lower than for buying a new exchanger.• The synchronised pulsing makes it possible tocontrol the heat input and minimises the risk ofheat cracks. No more repair due to hot cracking.• Improved ergonomics/accessibility. The automatictube welding machines weld perfectly in confinedspaces. The customer can weld from the front.• Better ergonomics has resulted in increasedproductivity.• Increased weld quality. The same parameters areused to achieve same quality weld time after time.• No need for filler wire as the PIB internal borewelding tool is used. The same set-up to be usedafter the first weld for the balance of the welds.

CASE STORY – contribution from Derek Harvey, ESAB UKManufacturing of body scannersMaterial: stainless steelDescriptionThe customer was manufacturing the scanners invarious sizes, using hand welding, but orders weregrowing and production had to be made faster.The welding on the end cap seam on the inside andoutside at both ends is critical as sensitive componentscould be damaged if too much heat was applied.One of the A25 heads is used for the root run and bothfor the following fill runs.The GMD system keep the head aligned during theweld cycle and the cameras allowed the operator tocontinuously monitor the weld and ensure that it wason line for the capping run.The vessels are mounted on roller bed set, and rotationof the workpiece and speed is set at the powersource and kept constant during the weld, thanks to thecontrol system.To prevent hold-ups waiting for a crane to turn thevessel to allow it to be welded at both ends, the rollerbeds are mounted on a turntable that will turn the jobthrough 180 degrees.Advantages• The installation has given an increase inproductivity and quality, and the customer hasordered more systems as a result.Contents• 2 pcs ESAB power source• 2 pcs A25 welding head with wire addition,AVC and weave• GMD guidance with 300 mm slides, modified togive X, Y and Z movement• CaB 300 to mount the heads• Special bracket arrangement to mount theequipment and give a third axis movement• ESAB (PEMA) 5 ton roller beds on a specialrotating base, driven by the power source and PAL3.• Colour camera and monitors to view the weld whenthe head is at the top of the vessel.

CASE STORY – contribution by Patrik Persson, ESAB SwedenNatural gas filling stations – Processkontroll AB, SwedenMaterial: stainless steelDescriptionThe use of natural gas is increasing. The environmentalaspect is becoming more and more an issue and LNG isnow used as source of energy in many areas, e.g. asfuel for cars and buses.Within EU it has been decided that year 2020 at least20% of all fuel for vehicles shall come from alternativeenergy sources, whereof 12% shall be natural gas.Today there are more than 50 natural gas filling stationsin Sweden, the goal is to have 100 stations by the end ofyear 2007. Germany currently has about 550 LNG fillingstations.Processkontroll AB, a Swedish company, has a longhistory of building LNG tank installations. They takeresponsibility for the entire project. They build thestation, which is their own design – and supply a turnkeypackage.The pipes are in stainless steel in dimensions from Ø16mm and upwards. The pressure in the pipes in an LNGfilling station can be up to 300 bars and the gas in thedispenser has a pressure of 230 bars.Contents• ESAB power source with cooling unit OCF 2M• ESAB welding head PRH 6-76, water-cooled, forwelding of tube diameters from 6 - 76 mm.Advantages• High precision and high security when welding thepipes together• Easy to use.• Quick service when needed.

CASE STORYFrom Soldering to Welding – Orbital TIG-welding of Cunifer pipes at Finnish shipyardDescriptionOne material often used in a modern ship is coppernickel alloys – traditionally considered to be ratherdemanding due to thermal properties of copper.It is difficult to get a stable weld-pool and weld withouta lack of fusion. Those problems belong to yesterdayat Kvaerner Masa-Yards (KMY) in Finland – OrbitalTIG welding was the key to improved quality andincreased productivity in welding of copper-nickelpiping.Material thickness is less than 3.0 mm. Combined withthe customer requirements of having an easilymovable equipment, an ESAB power source with awater-cooled welding head PRB 33-90 were chosen.Productivity data• The pre-programmed parameters can easily berecalled from the memory of the power source.• Compared with the soldering which was theprocess earlier used, the threshold in making ajoint has lowered significantly. To solder a jointtook almost 30 min to complete and one couldnever be quite sure of the finished quality.• With Orbital TIG welding the arc time isapproximately 1 minute on a Ø60 mm pipe and thequality can easily be controlled.Welded cunifer pipe. Diameter 60 mm and wall thickness 3.0 mmAdvantages• Improved weld quality and reduced work time.• More safe – open flame when soldering inside ashiphull is always a safety hazard – TIG arc waswelcomed by the shipyard fire-squad.• Easy to operate. More welders are now able tomake high quality weldments.• The shipyard has welders from different nations –the programming menu can be changed to differentlanguages just by pressing some buttons.

CASE STORY – contribution by Derek Harvey, ESAB UKCladding valves for the offshore marketDescriptionThe offshore market is very demanding in the claddingarea and ESAB equipment was chosen due to its easyuse and compactness. Quality and reliability were alsoimportant, as well as accurate control over all weldingparameters.The welding head is mounted on a small column andboom, and the workpiece on a turntable, driven by theVEC motor, which is controlled by the power source.Our customer manufactures his own hot wire system,which is connected to the wire at the outlet nozzle.A number of systems have been supplied to date andare performing well in production.Contents• ESAB power source• A25 welding head with AVC, weave and wire feed• VEC motor for rotating a turntable• A6 manual slide for coarse position the weldinghead in X and Y plainsAdvantages• Easy to use and compact• Quality and reliability• Accurate control over all welding parametersA25

CASE STORY – contribution by

CASE STORY – contribution by